


stories we can remember

by septnanis



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blood and Injury, Dream Eater Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Dream Eaters (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, Dreamsharing, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Minor Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:06:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 22,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29062548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/septnanis/pseuds/septnanis
Summary: 25 random drabbles.Ranging from canon to multiple aus.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

This is a little intro, so this doesn't end up on top of the first drabble that has nothing to do with what I'm about to type.

I write little bits and post them on my Twitter, but I like to occasionally share them here. They vary from during canon, post-canon to multiple kinds of aus. I head each one with what kind it is, so you know to keep clicking if it's not your thing.

Please enjoy and feel free to drop a prompt in a comment! I won't promise I'll write it, but maybe it will show up in the next batch, which I post every once and awhile.


	2. Another kind of dream - AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A no-Keyblade au. No Keyblade wielders ever come to Destiny Islands, so Sora and Riku live a very quiet, calm life.

One day they’ll save up enough money to buy a bigger bed. But Riku doesn’t mind too much. It’s a comfortable and cozy bed and his favorite person is in it with him.

Said favorite person protests sleepily as Riku pulls out of his embrace. The sun’s just coming up and he doesn’t have to be at work for another hour.

Once he manages to untangle himself out of Sora’s hold he sits on the edge of their bed for a moment and rubs his neck. Building ships is hard work but if he’s lucky Sora will put his warm hands on Riku’s shoulders later and rub the tension right out of them.

Riku nearly trips over the clothes Sora pulled him out of last night, so he scoops them up and puts them in their hamper, making a note to get coins for the laundromat.

He takes a quick shower and puts his work clothes on as quietly as he can. When he steps back into their bedroom, everything is dripping in pastel light, soft and quiet. The morning breeze rustles the white linen curtains by their window and Sora sleeps on.

Riku sits down on the edge of the bed to pull his socks on. As he reaches down a warm hand lays flat on his back and runs down slowly until it comes to rest on Riku’s hip.

He turns and smiles.

“Good morning,” Riku says.

Sora’s smile is lazy and crooked and he holds out an arm to beckon Riku closer. It works like a charm and Riku kisses him good morning.

“G’morning,” Sora says, voice rough. “You always try to sneak out.”

“You looked so peaceful sleeping,” Riku says and curls his fingers into chestnut hair. In just their bedsheets and the silver wedding ring Riku had saved almost a year for, Sora was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Didn’t want to disturb you.”

Sora gives him a sleepy grin and puts a warm hand on his cheek. “Had a dream about you,” he says.

Riku turns and goes back to pulling on his socks. “Oh yeah? What happened this time?”

The bed moved a little as Sora sat up a little. “Remember that little island we used to go to,” Sora says, his voice wistful. Riku hums in response. “To play as kids? We were there. I woke up on the beach and you were standing in the water with you back to me...”

The rest of the dream sounds surreal as Sora explains it.

“You always have the best dreams,” Riku says and stands. “Like something out of an adventure book. I wish I could’ve been there.”

With the exception of his boots he’s ready to go. He leans over the bed and kisses Sora again. He thinks of the play island, how he sat on that tree and leaned over to kiss Sora for the first time. He spent too long being in love with his best friend to keep it locked inside any longer, and the sweet way Sora had melted into the clumsy, heartfelt kiss only proved there was no reason to keep it hidden away.

“You were,” Sora says when Riku pulls away. “You usually are.”

Riku admires him for a minute or so until Sora laughs out loud and squirms under the attention, tells him to hurry or he’ll be late even though Riku has more than enough time to get to work.

“I hope...” Riku says, turning in the doorway. Sora gives him a confused look. “I hope you’re happy... even if our life isn’t as exciting as your dreams.”

Sora looks at him like he’s grown an extra head. “Are you kidding? That stuff’s great in stories but I love my life the way it is,” he says and burrows back under the covers. “They’re just silly dreams, Riku!”

Riku nods and drops the subject. “Say hi to the flowers and the animals for me,” Riku says and Sora blows him a kiss and a wide smile in response.

“Be careful! And leave those bananas on the counter, I want to make banana bread tonight,” Sora says and rolls back over in bed.

As he pulls his boots on at the door, Riku forgets what he was thinking about and drops one of the peaches he picked up off the counter into Sora’s work jacket.

He always forgets to bring a snack.

The light outside is still lavender and gold and Riku thinks only of warm hands on his shoulders and the smell of banana bread as walks to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always kinda imagine how it must have been like if the whole Keyblade destiny thing hadn't been set in motion. Kairi may have never come to the Destiny Islands and they probably would have lead very normal, quiet lives. Obviously they still would have fallen in love.


	3. A friend of a friend - Post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Riku made friends with Pence in the year Sora was gone, and once Sora gets back, they still like to hang out.

“And then this guy,” Pence put the hand not holding his fork full of eggs on Riku’s shoulder. “Kicked his butt!”

Sora gasped but grinned at Riku from beside him. “You did what?!”

Riku put his fork down and held both hands up. The bistro was crowded with sunday brunchers, so their voices got lost in the cozy noise around them.

“Hey, no, that’s not...” Riku says and waves a finger at Pence who is smirking. “I threw a single punch because the guy was a total jerk and would not back off.”

“But that’s not like you,” Sora says, still grinning. Riku isn’t easy to provoke so whatever the guy said must have been pretty bad. “What did he say?”

Pence reaches across the table to grab more juice. “He called me a...”

“Never mind,” Riku says resolutely. The sharpness of his tone makes the grin slip off Sora and Pence’s faces. “It was stupid and rude and he deserved it. I don’t want to hear it again.”

Just a moment of awkward silence falls before Riku stands. “I’ll go pay,” he says, trying on a lighter tone of voice.

“I said it was my treat!” Pence calls out in vain as Riku walks away and sighs. “I never admitted it to him, but it cut pretty deep... what that guy said. I froze up.”

Sora leans over the table in an unconscious show of support. He doesn’t know what was said but he couldn’t imagine anyone saying anything bad about a guy as nice as Pence.

“Riku just stepped in and told him he got ‘one warning to take it back and apologize or he’d make him regret it’,” Pence retells the story, looking out the corner of his eye at Riku across the room. “Obviously he didn’t, said something else and Riku landed one on him and then he said ‘don’t ever talk to or come near my friend again’.”

Pence turns to Sora and grins. “I think it was because he was so tired, but... Riku’s one of the only people I know who tries to hide what a great guy he is,” he says. “Like he refuses to believe it himself. Quick, here he comes, talk about something else!”

Sora sits up straight in his seat, laughs loudly and cries, “And then Gummiship broke down!”

Pence bursts into laughter so convincingly Sora is impressed. Riku sits down with a smile.

“What’s this?” He asks. Sora just leans in and presses a kiss to Riku’s cheek. They’ve only been together officially for a few weeks so affection still turns Riku’s face red. Sora loves that more than anything.

“Just telling Pence a story from when I was travelling with Donald and Goofy,” he says, only feeling a little guilty for fibbing. “And how hopeless I am with the Gummiship.”

Pence finishes his juice and pats Riku on the shoulder again. “Thanks for brunch! I don’t think I’ve ever had brunch before.”

That morning Sora wandered into the kitchen in the apartment Riku and Pence shared and woke both of them up by whining loudly how there wasn’t any food.

“You’re welcome,” Riku replies. He puts a hand on one of the arms Sora still has wrapped around Riku’s shoulders. “And you’re not hopeless, you know.”

For a good twenty seconds Sora just leans back to look at his best friend. His best friend who likes to help people but thinks when he asks for it, he’s weak. His best friend loves giving and receiving affection but doesn’t want to seem clingy. His best friend who gives people one warning if they hurt his friends and makes sure they know what the consequences are if they refuse to listen.

“What?” Riku asks and out of the corner of his eye Sora can see Pence’s knowing smile.

“Nothing,” Sora says, and gives him another kiss on the cheek. “You’re just really cool. You know, for buying us brunch.”

Riku laughs loudly and puts a tentative hand on Sora’s waist. They look at each other and before they can do that thing new couples do, fall into each other’s eyes and get a little stuck there, Pence throws a piece of melon across the table at them.

“So what does brunch mean anyway?” He asks.

Sora and Riku look first at Pence and then each other, there’s a beat and all three of them burst into laughter.

It lasts long enough for Sora to slide halfway out of his seat but Riku’s hand on Sora’s waist grips strongly and keeps him from falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally random, but I just really like the idea of Riku and Pence being buddies. I just added in a dash of Soriku. Also, who doesn't love brunch?


	4. Someway to get home - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Once Riku rescues Sora from Quadratum, they end up back in the night time Final World. There's only one way to get back home and it's in Riku's pocket.

“Ah!” Sora cries out when they land in the water, the stars flickering all around them. The last time he woke up here he met Yozora, who looked so familiar to him in a way he couldn’t place.

Now he knew why, Riku’s heart from one of the timelines got put into Yozora’s body, one of the many schemes the Master of Masters had put them through.

When Sora freed that heart and Yozora returned to his true form, he felt a little sad. He hoped wherever it went, there was a version of Sora’s heart waiting for him.

“You okay?” Riku asks from behind him. His silver hair glitters in the starlight. Sora feels strangely shy because he’s never looked at Riku this way before.

Sora nods. “You too?” He asks as Riku comes up to him. Without the Darkness inside him anymore, his heart feels so light he might just lift up off the watery ground and up into the starry sky. He wonders if he took Riku’s hands, he’d float up with Sora.

Now it was just him inside his heart. A little light, a little darkness, a little bruised but as hopeful as ever.

“Good,” Riku says and Sora realizes Riku is shy too.

Come to protect your precious person, the Master of Master had said. Riku thought he was precious and always had. It changed everything and yet still, things felt like they were meant to be.

“Kairi explained how to get back,” Riku says and pulls something out of his pocket. “She should be on the other side, waiting for you.”

Sora shakes his head. “Waiting for us!” He says and doesn’t Riku get it? Doesn’t he get that he had to be pulled apart and completely undone to understand that while Kairi would always be one of his most special friends, that it was Riku whose heart found him, beat in tune with his own.

“It’s us now, Riku,” Sora says and he doesn’t mind being the smart one sometimes. Riku must get tired always knowing everything, so Sora takes over in this unending world of night time. “You and me. What can I do to make you understand?”

Riku says nothing and just looks like he’s in physical pain. Sora feels bone deep sympathy for his oldest, most beloved friend. When he thinks how long he kept his secret and longed for someone he thought he could not only not have, but didn’t deserve to have.

It was nonsense, and Sora was going to prove that. He thought of all the worlds he’d been to, all the people he’d met... how two people looked at each other when they were most important.

Riku takes Sora’s silence as an excuse to start the process and holds the device out that apparently will help Kairi bring them back.

Nothing happens.

“She said it just needed light,” Riku says, his cheeks flaming and Sora may not fully understand love and romance but the way Riku’s cheeks make his stomach burst full of butterflies, he’s got an inkling.

Happy thoughts, fairy dust, light, truth, the power of waking, it was all the same thing.

There’s a thimble in Riku’s open hand.

Sora knows this one. He reaches out and closes Riku’s hand around the thimble Kairi had given Riku.

And leans up to kiss him for the first time.

It’s soft and sweet and Sora’s pretty sure it’s working because Riku gasps and doesn’t pull away and the closer they pull together, the warmer the thimble becomes until the light around them is so bright they can see it through their eyelids. There’s noise and air and it feels like they’re flying.

When they stop kissing, which Sora decides isn’t a good thing but at least he gets to look at Riku’s face, who looks like Sora put every world he’s ever been to in Riku’s palm instead of a silly thimble.

The world around them is bright blue, calm and quiet until they hear a voice call out.

“Hey!” Kairi shouts, waving and running towards them. “You did it!”

They both put an arm around her. “I knew you would,” she says to Riku. “I’m glad you’re back,” she says to them both.

They stand together in the silence, together for the first time in so long.

Kairi pulls away from them. “So, you figured out what the thimble meant?” She asks with a wink. Riku’s face goes red again and Sora sure does love him a lot.

“I already knew,” Sora says, his hands still wrapped around Riku’s. “I just hadn’t figured it out yet.”

They all share a look before Kairi pulls away and dashes off, laughing loudly. “Last one to the portal is a rotten coconut!” And instead of running off without Riku, grabs his hand and pulls him along with him.

They let Kairi win and the thimble stays warm between their fingers until they find their way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of these drabbles are because I had one tiny specific idea I want to flesh out and I just write a little story around it. I thought about how sweet it would be to involve a thimble in a first kiss. Featuring a little lovely supportive friend Kairi, because she's cool like that.


	5. If you need a hand - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - While on a mission, Sora gets hurt. Riku helps him out.

Sora blushes so hard he feels it all the way down his neck, when Riku lifts him so effortlessly he might as well have been a feather.

“Hey! Can’t I just sit on your back?” Sora asks and only wraps his arms around Riku’s neck so he has something to hold on to. “This is embarrassing!”

Behind them Kairi looks like she might pass out with how hard she’s trying not to laugh.

“I’m not the one with jelly legs,” Riku says in a calm tone with a smirk. “It’s just to the Gummiship, you’ll live.”

The problem isn’t being carried like he’s a princess, or that Kairi is going to spend the rest of the walk back to the ship giggling at him but mostly that Sora’s in the midst of an absolutely massive crush on Riku, and this close he can smell him and feel how warm he is.

Sora’s pretty sure Riku feels the same but neither of them seem to be ready to take the plunge.

In between giggles, Sora sees Kairi wink at him when he looks over Riku’s shoulder.

The Heartless that hit him with the spell that turned his legs useless really was the worst.

Kairi runs up ahead of them, shouting that she’ll get the ship up and running. Sora sighs and unconsciously tightens his arms around Riku’s neck.

“Nearly there,” Riku says and it calms Sora right down because Riku always calms Sora’s nerves. “You’re not in any pain are you?”

They reach the ship and Riku stops, still holding Sora in his arms like he could walk a hundred miles and not get tired.

“No! I’m fine,” Sora reassures him and realizes how close their faces are. How little effort it would take to lean in and kiss his best friend like he’s wanted to for months. “I just... uhm, Riku?”

Riku moves him arms to readjust Sora’s weight and responds softly, “What’s up?”

“I think I...” Sora says, throat clogging with anticipation. “That is... I want to say..”

“You guys are killing me!” Kairi shouts from the entrance, waving at them. “Let’s go!”

She disappears into the ship and Riku clears his throat loudly. “We should get in there before she leaves us behind,” Riku says and the dark hue on his cheeks gives Sora the confidence he needs.

He leans in and presses the quickest of kisses to Riku’s cheek, and then looks up at him with a smile.

Riku looks like he’s going to drop Sora on the ground.

“Thanks for carrying me and my jelly legs, Riku,” Sora says. “We really should get in!”

Riku shakes his head and rushes into the Gummiship. He looks so flustered Sora almost doubts his actions, but Riku sets him down on the one cot in the ship so gently that his confidence comes straight back.

“Tell me what you were going to later?” Riku asks and he sounds so hopeful and enchanted that Sora just wants to kiss him again.

“If I managed to get out of the ship,” Sora jokes.

Riku lets his fingers linger on Sora’s shoulder, and Sora realizes suddenly alongside that Riku feels this way about Sora, is that his shoulder is the only place Riku will touch him. Carrying him must have been overwhelming.

“No worries,” Riku says. “I’ve got you.”

Sora grabs his fingers before they can slip away completely and squeezes them.

“Yeah,” Sora says and takes a deep breath before the plunge. “You sure do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just got together Soriku sounds like a lot of fun, so this happened. Riku doesn't mind carrying him, he's got broad shoulders.


	6. Bronze and golden - Future-fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Yozora is their inexplicable pandimensional child AU. And they play in the yard because the leaves had turned pretty autumn colors. Sora lets Yozora in on a little secret.

Their garden seems to have gone golden yellow and auburn overnight, half the leaves on the trees covering the ground after a windy night and the rest falling delicately down like fluttery raindrops.

“How come the leaves fall off?” Yozora asks, up on the windowsill as he watches the falling leaves.

Riku walks over to Yozora and sits down next to him. “Why do you think?”

Yozora looks at him with a bit of a pout for not getting an answer before he turns thinking. “Mmm... is it because the leaves are a different color?”

Riku rubs a hand over Yozora’s hair. It’s much thicker now and has lost the very fine, very soft quality it had when he was a baby and a toddler, and it reminds Riku a bit of Sora’s hair, despite the color and lack of spikiness.

“Kind of,” Riku says, not sure if explaining the cycle of life in the manner of trees at four years old is the right time. “Every season, the weather changes. When it gets colder, the leaves change color and drop off, so that in spring brand new ones can grow.”

Yozora looks back out at the leaves and makes an impressed sound. “Wow... you can’t see the grass anymore!”

“If you hurry up and go eat your breakfast, we’ll go out after and you can help me pick them up,” Riku offers and smiles when Yozora responds with excitement.

“Really?!” He exclaims and clambers off the windowsill so he can rush to the kitchen. Riku stands to follow him, chuckling at how happy his son is at the prospect of cleaning leaves.

In the kitchen, Sora has breakfast laid out on the table.

“Morning, sunshine,” Riku says and walks up to him to pull him into a hug, which Sora melts into gladly.

“Morning,” Sora says, a little blearily. He’s still in his pajamas, thick chunky sweater wrapped around him like a blanket. He nuzzles his face into Riku’s throat which makes Riku squeeze him close for a moment before letting him go.

“Daddy said we’re going to pick up the leaves,” Yozora tells Sora when they sit down at the table to eat their breakfast. “I’m gonna help!”

Sora nods and reaches over to brush his knuckles over Yozora’s cheek. “Oh wow! That sounds really fun,” he says. “I still have to shower and then I’ll join you.”

Yozora nods happily and continues eating.

“Hey, slow your roll, little man,” Riku says with a grin when he sees hiw fast Yozora is shoveling his breakfast into his mouth. “There’s no rush. The longer we take, the more leaves there will be to pick up.”

They finish their breakfast and Yozora goes to his room to get his boots.

“Leave that, I’ll clean up,” Riku says when Sora stands to clear the table. Riku stands with plates in hand and stands in front of Sora. “You know you could go back to bed, lazybones.”

“I’m not lazy,” Sora says, amusingly around an impressive yawn. He crosses his arms over his chest to warm himself up and gives Riku a kiss. “Someone kept me up late last night.”

Riku grins and kisses him too. “Couldn’t be helped,” he says and Sora grins back.

“I’m gonna shower,” Sora says and pats Riku on the hip as he goes. Riku cleans the table and the kitchen and just as Yozora comes running back into the room, boots in hand and his coat and scarf already on, Riku opens the door to the garden.

“Those boots not too small for you?” Riku asks when Yozora pulls one on. His son wiggles his foot.

“My toes are all the way here!” Yozora saya pointing to the very edge of his boot. He grows so fast that his clothes and shoes barely last a season.

Riku crouches down and takes his little foot in hand. “But they’re not pinchy?”

Yozora shakes his head. Riku resolves to take them out tomorrow so they can get Yozora new boots.

Once Yozora is bundled up he barrels out into the garden, leaves crunching underneath his boots. Right away he’s tossing leaves over his head and singing a random tune about leaves and colors.

Riku fetches his and Sora’s boots and coats from the entrance and pulls his own on. As he does, Koko the cat joins him at the garden door, sniffing the cool morning air. Riku rubs her head and smiles when she purrs. “Morning, girl,” he says. She steps out into the garden and begins to sniff all the leaves delicately.

“Alright, little man,” Riku says when he’s outside. The temperature seems to have dropped overnight, the air crisp and cool enough to feel on their faces. “Let’s get to work.”

——

“There!” Yozora says, throwing a last armful of leaves on the large pile of leaves they’ve managed to collect. Riku had used their rake while Yoxora diligently followed behind to pick up whatever he missed.

“I think that’s all most of them,” Riku says and gestures to the ones still falling from the trees. “Think the rest will have fallen in a few days.”

“We can do it again!” Yozora crows happily.

Sora leans down in the grass and picks something up. “Oh look, acorns!” He says. He no longer looks sleepy after a shower and running around the garden with their son. “Honey, c’mere,” he holds an arm out for Yozora, who almost flies over to him and settles into the crook of his arm. “See these? They’re magic.”

Yozora looks at Sora with wide eyes. “Really?”

Sora nods and puts the acorns in Yozora’s hand. “Just ask your daddy,” he says, grinning at Riku. Yozora turns in Sora’s hold at Riku to gain confirmation.

Riku raises his eyes with a grin. “Yes, they’re magical,” he says.

“Go find as many as you can and we’ll put them in a basket,” Sora says, and leans into kiss Yozora’s temple. “Then we’ll make something with them later.”

Yozora doesn’t need to be told twice and he shoots off to look for acorns.

Sora stands to head inside to fetch a basket to put them in.

“What?” Sora asks when he stands next to Riku and notices his bemused expression. “They are. Fairy Godmother said so.”

Riku leans on the rake he’s still holding. “Yeah, she did,” he says. “Fairy magic. I got you seven love tokens when I asked you to marry me.”

Sora wraps his hands around Riku’s arm and leans up. “And it worked,” he says. “I mean, I was gonna marry you, love tokens or not... but going all the way to the Dwarven Woodlands just to get me golden acorns. I kept them of course!”

“You did?” Riku asks, a little in the clouds at the idea of Sora putting all his silly love tokens in a safe keeping place, maybe even to look at them sometimes.

Sora nods and leans up to kiss him. Riku kisses back until they’re interrupted by Yozora.

“Paapaa...!” He whines, gesturing at the growing pile of acorns.

“Better hop to it,” Sora says, the smile he leaves Riku with flirtatious. He gives Riku’s arm a squeeze with both hands before going inside to fetch the promised basket.

Riku sighs and then puts the rake against the wall. There’s a bench there, with Bo the stuffed Chocobo as its only occupant, little scarf tied around his neck.

He sits down and watches as Sora comes back outside with a basket to put the acorns in. Riku thinks if either one of them asked him to go to the other end of the universe to bring them an acorn, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

The leaves rain down soft and golden on his family and Riku turns to Bo with a smile.

“Not bad, huh?” He asks the stuffed Chocobo. He turns back to where Sora and Yozora are counting the acorns in sing-song voices.

Not bad at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a big pile of fluffiness. And nothing beats playing outside when autumn really hits, even when you're older. Soriku as parents just strikes me as really sweet.


	7. Little bit of fairy magic - Future-fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future-fic - A follow-up, or rather a retelling of Riku's fairy magic infused proposal, to Sora's retelling of the acorn story in the last drabble. Takes place before Yozora exists.

They discuss getting married the same way they discuss other important decisions in their life. Easily without much fanfare. Sora does get a particularly lovely color in his face and he crawls into Riku’s lap to kiss him to within an inch of his life.

But that seems to be that.

Kairi nearly hits the roof she’s so happy for them, and actually grabs Sora by the sleeve demanding the what must have been the most romantic proposal in the history of proposals.

“Uh, no one asked really,” Sora says sheepishly. “It was dinnertime and we’ve been together for ages, so we thought, might as well right?”

Kairi looks so appalled she just turns around and leaves the room.

Riku looks like he wants to follow her. “Don’t,” Sora says because he knows Riku well enough by now. “It’s not about her. It’s about us and I’m really happy.”

He leans up to kiss Riku’s cheek and the answering hum satisfies. “Me too,” Riku says.

Obviously it’s not the end of it.

Fairy Godmother has Riku over for tea sometimes. Ever since the Sora ripping apart the fabric of his own existence incident, they had become good friends.

“My dear, I’m so happy for you,” she says and puts another madeleine on his plate. “What a lovely couple you two are... I suppose it was just a matter of time. How did you propose?”

The delicate teacup in his hand stops an inch from his mouth. He lowers it. “Funny, everyone keeps asking that,” he says. “Nobody proposed. We were talking about how we’ve been together for almost seven years and then one of us suggested we should make it official... it’s not like it changes anything, and does it really matter that there was no grand gesture?”

Fairy Godmother gives him an amused look. “Maybe not, but for you? You have turned grand gestures rather into an art form.”

It’s true, Riku never does anything by halves, especially when it comes to Sora. He’s still so madly in love with him it makes Riku nervous if it will ever go away.

“You still can, you know,” she says and takes a sip of tea. “Make a grand gesture of it.”

Riku takes a sip too and frowns. “I wouldn’t know where to start,” he says.

Fairy Godmother sets her teacup down and sticks her hand into the tiny floral printed purse on the table. It must be a magic purse, because she pulls a book out of it that should not have fit and hands it to him.

Love, marriage and fairy magic.

“This might help,” she says and winks at him. “Fairy proposals are usually aided by tokens and spells. I’m sure you’ll do splendidly, my dear boy.”

On his way home, Riku agonises over whether he should go through with it. Sora seems perfectly pleased with the way things are going.

“Riku!” Sora calls out to him, waving and then running to him. Riku catches him in a hug and grins. Sora always greets him like they’ve been apart for days or weeks, not just months. “You’re back! Did you have a nice tea party?”

“I did,” Riku says, ignoring the teasing tone. “Brought you something.” He reaches into the pocket that doesn’t hold the book of fairy magic and grand gestures and produces a rolled up handkerchief.

Sora takes it and unrolls. His eyes light up so bright they almost change color, a happy and excited smile on his face. “Oh wow! These are my favorite!” He exclaims and reaches up to kiss Riku soundly as if Riku had just handed him a priceless gift. “Thank you, Riku.”

The excited vibration to his body, the happy smile, the bright eyes, they all make Riku’s heart skip so many beats he may have to sit down.

If Sora responds this way to two biscuits wrapped in a handkerchief, how would he respond to actual tokens of love and devotion.

The book of fairy magic burns a hole in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know proposals and weddings and such in the Soriku fandom have had their fair share of versions, but I think I could write about a dozen more. I think they're a mix between being really pragmatic and big, dramatic gestures.


	8. Reading therapy - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post- canon - When Sora gets back from Quadratum, he has to get back in the swing of things. Yen Sid points him in the right direction.

After Shibuya, Sora’s powers drop so far down they’re in the negative. He’s gotten used to getting knocked down but this is different.

He spends the first few weeks sleeping like he hasn’t slept in years. Riku joins him in his dreams, sometimes to ward off nightmares, sometimes just to spend time with him.

Riku is something new now. Beside friendship and loyalty and comraderie he’s love and affection and a new feeling altogether.

You came for me, Sora still whispers against his mouth before they kiss, clumsy and new.

Always, Riku promises when they pull away.

Sora gets over the lethargy eventually and starts to feel like himself again. Bright sparking energy and determination and his friends pat him on the back and hug him like they still miss him even though he’s there.

The Keyblade feels like carrying a sack of bricks, instead of the weightless, effortless weapon it had been before. The line it has to his heart feels like a choppy disconnect, static flying over the connection.

When he’s soundly beaten by his friends Sora throws his Keyblade onto the ground and almost screams when it just disappears in a gentle shower of golden sparkles.

He locks himself in his room and doesn’t let anyone in. No matter how gentle or demanding they are.

Riku’s soft but sad ‘okay’ when Sora tells him to buzz off and that ‘always doesn’t mean all the time, leave me alone’ cuts through him and Sora almost throws the door open to beg for forgiveness.

He ends up in the library he didn’t know was in the tower. It’s not a huge library, but there’s books aplenty and a nook to hide himself in. He tears through the adventure books first, transported back to his childhood. He misses his friends as he reads the ones about groups of brave people who come together to save the world. He misses Riku when he reads the romantic ones, people who will do anything to be together.

Yen Sid is the first one to find him there and Sora imagines he’s in for a lecture about responsibility and patience.

And yet, Yen Sid just sits down across from him with a sigh and for the first time, Sora realises he’s an old man who has seen a great deal.

“I would like to apologise,” Yen Sid said and it knocked the wind out of Sora. He set his book down but said nothing. “We all laid high expectations on you and even when you met them all through trial and error, I berated you. For that I am sorry.”

Sora believes in the good in everyone. He’s never going to let anyone take that from him.

“Thank you,” Sora says, because he’s so tired. “I didn’t make it easy on you. Failed the Mark pretty spectacularly...”

Yen Sid held up his hand. “You did nothing of the sort,” he says. “I should have noticed you were being led into a trap. Had Xehanort not done this, I am certain I would have named both you and Riku Master.”

Sora sat back and let that sink in. It was the closest thing to a straight out compliment Yen Sid had ever given him.

“Sora,” he says. “If I may offer you some advice... being a Keyblade Master is not actually your only option.” He gestures at the books all around him. “There are many paths to take. You are the only one who can choose which one, and have all the time and freedom to do so.”

When Yen Sid leaves, Sora thanks him again. The books he picks aren’t novels, but history books and schoolbooks, and he learns so much and can’t put them down.

“There you are,” Riku’s voice says from the doorway. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Can I... come in?”

His hesitance makes Sora smile. “Yeah, of course.” He lifts the blanket he has over his lap as a clear gesture for Riku to sit next to him.

Riku does of course. Sora realises how much he’s missed him, how nice the rumble of his voice is when he lifts an arm so Sora can sit in the crook of it and lean against his chest. How good he smells, how comforting his presence is.

“Here,” Sora says and hands him the book. “You can read to me.”

Riku takes the book and looks it over. “Forces of Heart energy and Keyblade connectivity... I, wow Sora.”

Sora shrugs and turns so he can wrap his arm around Riku’s waist. “Well, go on, then.”

Riku studies him for a moment and then just smiles and presses a firm kiss to Sora’s forehead.

“Anything you want,” Riku says and starts to read out loud.

That’s right, Sora thinks, and to wherever I’m going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the idea of Sora being a secret devourer of books. Both novels and the kind that can teach him something. I guess it's my reaction to a chunk of fandom assuming Sora is dumb, which he really, really isn't. Of course, Riku's along for the ride. 
> 
> Did they hide under the covers and read pirate adventure books as kids? Yes!


	9. Portraits of a life - Royalty AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Royalty AU - a series of portraits throughout the life of a Prince, a King and his opinionated Consort.

Sora has never been so uncomfortable. Scalan fashion may very well be the exact thing opposite of fashion from his home. How Riku makes this look so natural he’ll never know.

“Your Royal Highness, your Highness,” the man about to paint them together gestures at them. “If you’d like to stand side by side... yes, wonderful. Perhaps you can join hands, to signify your coming union.”

Sora stands beside Riku and looks behind him at the backdrop. It’s a perfect image of the gardens outside. It’s a shame they couldn’t actually be outside.

“I’m so hot,” Sora whispers, wincing when he feels how sweaty his hand is when Riku gently takes it. The gold engagement ring glitters in the light. “How do you look so put together and relaxed?”

Riku grins and squeezes his fingers. “Years of practice,” he whispers back. “You’ll get used to it.”

Sora decides then and there he will never, ever get usee to it and Riku may look good in tight, stuffy, high collared clothes but he’s tall and broad shouldered and Sora just feels like a doll.

“Excellent, thank you,” the painter says and gets to work.

They stand there for nearly two hours and when it’s over he throws the clothes off like they’re on fire and the boisterous way Riku laughs makes it all worth it.

—

The portrait after Riku’s coronation as King is a solemn affair. Despite how his relationship with his father had deteriorated since his mother passed, it was still hard for Riku to be an orphan before he was thirty.

Let alone now King. It’s then that Sora realises this is what Riku’s mother meant when she told him it would be a full time job, supporting his husband.

“You’re so handsome,” Sora says as he fiddles with Riku’s uniform. Wearing his military uniform would exude strength, his council told him. “This will be our best portrait yet!”

Riku grins, but it’s only halfway there. “Oh, so the one with Yozora isn’t the best?”

Sora rolls his eyes and puts his arms around Riku’s neck, and Riku’s hands immediately settle on his hips. “He has never been so squirmy, what were we thinking, trying to get a three year old to sit still for an hour!”

“It turned out great,” Riku says. “It makes me smile every time I walk past it.”

“Your Majesty,” an attendant pokes his head into the room. “Your Royal Highness. They’re ready for you.”

Riku nods. “Thank you,” he says and gestures at Sora. “Shall we?”

Sora leads into the room, breaking half a dozen protocol rules but no one seems to notice.

“I was thinking Your Majesty could sit,” the painter says, bowing his head as he does. “And Your Royal Highness can stand next to him, a loyal, devoted husband and consort.”

Sora nods and steps aside so Riku can sit in the ornate chair. “Sounds good to me! Riku...” he gestures at the chair and Riku sits down. The pose he takes doesn’t look the least bit comfortable but it shows his broad frame and splendid clothes perfectly.

“A little closer, Your Royal Highness,” the painter says to Sora, who edges closer to Riku. “Thank you so much.”

Sora looks down at Riku. He’s not often rewarded with an opportunity to look at his husband from this angle, but he savors the moment. The little tuft of hair on top of his head that he can never get under control, the silver stud in the top of his ear that he had set once in rebellion and never removed, the troubled crease to his brow.

Riku looks up at him. “What is it?”

It’s not as if Riku needs pointing out that he looks tired and sad, he knows he is. His duty to being King overrules any personal feelings he has.

So Sora just shakes his head with the most gentle smile he has and puts his hand on Riku’s shoulder. An anchor, a weighted hint to Riku that he would never be alone. When some of the tension in Riku ebbs just a little at Sora’s touch, it feels like casting magic.

“An immaculate detail, Your Royal Highness,” the painter says, waving his brush at Sora’s hand on Riku’s shoulder.

Sora doesn’t move the hand the entire time.

—

“The Council Lords are very appreciative of your hard work in opening up the Universities for all the people of Scala,” Riku says, buried in his newspaper. “A unifying gesture, they say.”

Sora rolls his eyes and bats at the newspaper. “Wonderful, now if only half your Council Lords would stop calling me a witch behind my back, we could all be great friends!”

“Stop moving so much!” A voice piped up from the other end of the bed. Both Riku and Sora look at their son, scribbling hard on his sketchpad.

“Pardon us,” Sora says in a teasing tone and sits back. “We’re not used to sitting for portraits this early. Especially on a sunday!”

Yozora ignores his father’s tone and continues his work, looking up occassionally at them.

“Explain to me again why we’re sitting for a portrait again,” Riku asks, putting his newspaper aside and sitting as still as he can.

Sora slides down so he can more comfortably lean on Riku’s side. “Because his new tutor is stimulating creativity as well as learning about the law and the constitution. I’d like our son to be a well rounded future King, thank you.”

“Oh? So that means I’m not well rounded?” Riku asks, leaning in to poke at Sora’s sides, who starts laughing and squirming. “I’ll have you know I’m an excellent dancer, and...”

“Daaaad,” Yozora complains, waving his pencil at Riku.

“Okay, okay,” Riku relents and holds his arms out to Yozora. “Come here and show me.”

A shy look falls over Yozora’s face. “But it’s not finished yet,” he says and curls the sketchbad towards him.

“That’s alright, I’m sure it already looks great,” Riku says and smiles when Yozora crawls up the bed so he can climb into Riku’s lap. With the thick layer of bedding covering his legs, Yozora disappears halfway. Yozora shows his work.

“I...” Riku starts, and looks a little surprised. “That’s very good, Yozora.” He says. Sora sits up at his tone and leans in to look.

“Wow! It really is,” Sora says. “I should speak to your tutor, see if he can spend more time on your art lessons.”

“Really?!” Yozora says, looking excited.

Sora nods and kisses his forehead.

“When you’re finished, may I have this?” Riku asks, setting his chin on top of Yozora’s head. “I’d like to hang it in my office.”

Yozora curls into his father’s hold, looking a little shy again but he nods.

“Okay, but only when it’s done,” Yozora insists. Riku laughs.

—

“This has got to be the last one,” Sora says, standing next to Riku. The portrait on the wall is bigger than they are, framed with ornate gold.

“You never know,” Riku replies. He looks much less stern in real life than in the portrait but Sora had gotten used to his husband being portrayed the way he is. Stern, stoic and powerful. “We might get another one when we make it to forty.”

For their 30th wedding anniversary, the Council commissioned a portrait of them, a mirror of their first portrait as a married couple. The differences were most definitely there. Beside them stood their children, one on each side.

“Astra was breathing fire at having to wear that dress,” Sora says. Riku laughs and runs his fingers through Sora’s brown hair, now streaked with silver and white. “She looks lovely though.”

Riku nods. “They both do,” he says. “You look exactly the same as thirty years ago.”

“You can’t lie and flirt with me at the same time, Riku,” Sora says. An attendant comes up to them with something on a tray, bowing his head.

Riku laughs again. “Thank you,” he says and takes the letter. “I can do whatever I like, I’m the King. Oh for heaven’s sake...”

Sora’s brow furrows. “What is it?”

“The trade delegation from Twilight Kingdom is a day early and they’re docking in an hour,” Riku says. He looks at Sora. “Come with me?”

He holds out an arm because he’s still as silly and chivalrous as he was when they were children and Sora loves him so.

Sora loops his arm through his. “Of course,” he says. He looks back for a second at the family in the portrait, frozen in time. “Anywhere you like.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Royalty au is kind of a fan fave, so I'm always thinking of new things to write for it. Of course as a royal couple, they would have to sit for portraits all the time. These are a few examples.


	10. Unread messages - Post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Riku sends Sora a slew of Gummiphone messages, assuming they'll never be delivered because Sora doesn't really exist in their reality at the moment. He finds out that they do, once he joins Sora in unreality.

It was Naminé’s idea, to tell Sora how he felt, once they figured out the messages he was trying to send weren’t going through. At first, Riku withheld any real deep emotion.

_I hope you’re okay, we’re all working hard to find you, wherever you are don’t give up._

After months of missing his best friend and dreaming of him, so close but just out of reach, so tired and so lonely, Riku moved on to the things he never had the courage to say.

_I miss you, I’m so sorry I let you go all alone, I love you, I’ve always loved you, everything I’ve done has been for you as much as it has been for me._

It helped to a certain degree and in the end, Riku forgot he had even sent them. When he landed in Quadratum, mildly disoriented but determined, the buzz in his pocket didn’t really register.

It didn’t take him long to find Sora, encapsulated in crystal - sleeping again, Riku smiled at that - but the battle against the person whose appearance was like looking in a smudged mirror felt like an eternity.

“I told him I don’t lose,” the man said, as he put his weapon away in defeat. “Guess you proved me wrong.” He sounded gracious in defeat, like he undersood without words that Riku wasn’t there to hurt Sora.

The crystal shattered into tiny shards of light and Riku caught Sora before he could hit the ground.

“Riku...” Sora said as he opened blue eyes. “Riku’s here.” It’s an echo of a memory, words Sora said to him once already only this time, Riku wore his own face and felt no more shame or fear to be close to Sora.

“Yeah...” Riku said and he can’t help how his eyes well up. “I looked for you,” he said and wrapped his arms around Sora and held him close. Sora returned the hug and Riku could feel his smile. “I looked everywhere for you.”

Sora laughed and it occurred to Riku he hadn’t heard that sound in a year and it was like the sun coming out on a cloudy day. “Come on, Riku,” Sora said, his tone teasing. “You gotta pull it together.”

“No kidding,” Yozora said from where he stood watching them. “He’s gonna know this guy busted you out, so we need to get out of here.”

Riku wiped his face and helped Sora stand, who looked a little coltish on his legs.

“Who’s he?” Sora asked.

“Never mind, I’ll explain later,” Yozora said. “Let’s go!”

As they ran, Sora made a sound. “Oh wow, my phone is buzzing like crazy!” When they get to a spot that is deemed safe by Yozora, Sora pulled his phone out.

Riku paid it no mind, just turned to Yozora and they continued their discussion. Sora babbled excitedly behind him about all his friends sending him messages.

The second Sora uttered his name, the realization that if he was getting everyone else’s messages, he was getting Riku’s too hit him like a wave of Heartless.

“Riku...” Sora said.

“Sora, I...” Riku said at the same time.

Sora looked at his phone, mystified and completely still. There was no way to determine what he was thinking.

“Sora, it doesn’t mean anything,” Riku said. It was the biggest lie he’d ever told but he felt like he had to.

For a moment it seemed like Sora hadn’t even heard him, until his face shot up, his eyes shining. “How can you say that?” He cried out. “Nobody’s ever... why didn’t you tell me?”

Riku sighed. “Because I was afraid,” he said. “And I thought you’d never read those anyway.”

“And now what?” Sora asked, looking mildly annoyed. “Now that you accidentally told me you’re going to pretend it never happened?”

“Is this gonna take long, because..” Yozora started but stopped when both Sora and Riku glared at him, his hands up in defense.

“Riku,” Sora said and walked up close to him. He grabbed his jacket with one hand. “Tell me. Tell me how you feel.”

Riku looked down at him, his heart racing in his chest. He was almost angry at Sora for pushing him, and his voice caught in his throat. If he said it out loud, there would be no going back. Sora would never look at him the same again.

“I love you,” Riku said, because his heart had wanted to do that for so long, now that it finally had the chance it broke ranks and sang. “Always have. The promise I made when we were little, it was for you. You were my precious person that I wanted to protect.”

Sora swallowed and then smiled at Riku like he’d just done something wonderful. “I thought... that you just wanted to be my friend. You were always there but you kept a distance from me. So I thought, how I feel about Riku must not be real love because wouldn’t he know? Wouldn’t he be able to tell?”

“Sora...” Riku said, voice choked. “It is real love. I promise. I just can’t believe you...”

Sora grabbed him tighter and leaned up so he could press their foreheads together. “Believe it,” he said. “Because it’s the truth. I may not know everything about love, but I know how I feel right now and if it isn’t love, I don’t know what is.”

Their eyes met and the entirety of Quadratum fell away and it was like they were the only two left in the world.

“Listen, I’m about to burst into tears with how touching this all is,” Yozora piped up from behind them, breaking the spell. “But we need to go, and I’ve got someone to save too.”

Both Sora and Riku managed to pull away from each other. “Later, we’ll talk it out,” Sora said, stuffing his phone in his pocket. “And not with a gummiphone message. Let’s go!”

Sora’s grin made it impossible not to follow him and it wouldn’t be until much later when he read the messages that would later buzz in his pocket.

_It’s always been you too_ , it said.

_Sorry it took me so long to figure it out_ , another said.

_I love you, I love you, I love you too_ , the final one said.

It lingered patiently and happily in the ether until they found their way home together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in the mood for a little drama. I don't actually really like writing love confessions, they always feel so clunky to me, but hopefully this worked.


	11. Delighted to make your acquaintance - Future-fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future-fic - Sora and Riku introduce baby Yozora to the Dream eaters. That's it.

“I can’t believe we didn’t think of this before!” Sora says, and blows a raspberry on Yozora’s cheek, who giggles at the attention.

Riku sits down on the ground across from them and crosses his legs. “Been a little busy getting used to the idea of having a baby.”

At ten months, Yozora is deeply curious of everything around him and even between the two of them it’s a challenge to keep up with him now he can crawl and stand.

“Shall I do the honors, or you?” Riku asks. Sora bounces Yozora on his lap.

“Maybe you should,” Sora replies. “Before I accidentally turn this one into a Dream eater just by summoning the other ones.”

Riku nods and a few moments and a flash of bright light later, the room is suddenly occupied by two Dream eaters.

Komory makes a beeline for Riku’s shoulder and coos when he reaches up a hand to pet her. Meow Wow bounds over to Sora before coming to an abrupt halt in front of him at the sight of Yozora.

Both Dream eaters chirp in curiousity.

“Hey, guys!” Sora greets them. “We wanted to introduce someone. This is,” Sora lifts Yozora a little bit towards Meow Wow. “Yozora! He’s our son.”

Meow Wow leans in to sniff at Yozora and there’s absolute silence between them before Yozora bursts into peals of happy laughter, throws his arms around Meow Wow and hugs as much as he’s able to.

Meow Wow bounces happily as he nuzzles into the hug, squeaking excitedly.

“Instant friends,” Riku says. “I should’ve known. You can go say hi too.” He says to Komory, who flutters her wings and floats over to sit on Meow Wow’s head to inspect Yozora up close.

Sora laughs when Yozora looks up at Komory and makes a sound of absolute awe. Yozora shouts something that makes no sense to either of them but both the Dream eaters react like they understand him perfectly.

Sora looks around them at Riku. “You think they understand him?” He asks.

Riku shrugs. “They understand us, so maybe they understand babyspeak too,” he says. He leans back on his hands to watch his family and his Dream eaters and smiles. “Maybe he can teach us, so we can figure out why he wakes us up at four in the morning.”

Within minutes, Yozora is crawling across the floor while Meow Wow bounces after him, like a big cuddly guard catdog. Komory goes to sit on Riku’s shoulder but keeps her strange eyes focussed on Yozora.

“He’s pretty great, huh,” Riku asks Komory and she titters in response, which can only mean she agrees.

“Think we might have some Dream eater candy left in the kitchen,” Sora says, standing up. When he passes by Riku he reaches down and scratches his fingers gently under his jaw, which makes Riku grin and lean in to the touch. “You want some too, mister Dream eater?”

Riku laughs. “No thanks,” he says and tilts his cheek in a silent gesture to show what he does want. Sora smirks and leans down to give him a lingering kiss there.

“Come here, little man,” Riku says to Yozora, holding out his arms. Yozora scoots across the floor and when he hits Riku’s knee, Riku picks him and settles him on his lap. “You like your new friends?”

Yozora babbles in response and wobbly puts his feet on Riku’s leg so he can stand up.

Komory chirps, shakes her fuzzy body and out pops a tiny version of her.

Yozora’s glee at the appearance fills the whole room. The tiny Komory bat flutters down and lands on the top of Yozora’s head.

“Hey, it’s Fwoof fwoof!” Sora says when he walks back into the room. He’s got a bowl that is no doubt full of Dream eater candy. He gives Meow Wow some before kneeling down next to Riku and gesturing at Yozora.

“Yozora, go like this,” Sora says, showing him to hold his hand out flat. Yozora sits down in Riku’s lap, looks confused for a moment before he copies Sora. Sora in turn puts some Dream eater candy in Yozora’s open palm and Fwoof fwoof takes flight and flutters down on to his hands to enjoy.

“He looks so happy,” Sora says, looking just as joyful as their son. Riku picks some candy out of the bowl to give to Komory Bat and Sora gives some more to Meow Wow. “Yeah, yeah, you can have some more, you big lug,” he says, putting one arm around Meow Wow.

They play with the Dream eaters until Yozora’s head is lolling back and forth from exhaustion and they almost look a little disappointed when Sora and Riku say it’s time for bed.

They disappear in a flash of brilliant light.

“I’ll put him to bed,” Riku says, Yozora already snoozing on his shoulder. Sora nods and stands on his toes to kiss his forehead.

“Thanks, I’ll get dinner started,” he says. “Didn’t realize how late it was.”

Later, Riku wakes at four am. Only for the first time in ages, there’s no sound. No whimpering, no crying, no Sora stumbling out of bed like he’s drunk because it’s his turn to check on the baby. Just blissful early morning quiet.

Despite the lack of crying, Riku gets up anyway. Beside him, Sora stirs only a little, rolling from his side to his back and continues to sleep.

Riku crosses the hall to Yozora’s room and peers inside. Yozora is sleeping, tummy rising and falling with a gentle rhythm. It looks like he’ll be sleeping the whole night through and Riku is surprised.

Until he spots the tiny Komory Bat on post of Yozora’s crib, its little wings flapping silently.

Riku smiles at the tiny Dream eater, who puffs up with pride at being acknowledged by the big Dream eater in the doorway. Riku steps back into the hall and into the bedroom.

He falls back asleep surrounded by his precious people, the quiet of good dreams following him into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just thought this would be really cute. It also features Fwoof fwoof, greeneggs101's adorable version of mini Komory Bat. He'd make a very good companion for Yozora.


	12. A pretty stone - Future-fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future-fic - another instalment in the Riku uses fairy magic to propose to Sora. In this case, a spell and a pretty stone.

Riku wakes to a semi dark room and an empty bed. Which means it’s very early and Sora should be asleep next to him. They’ve been talking about getting a bigger bed, because Sora is as active asleep as he is awake and Riku takes up more than half of it just due to his long limbs.

But without Sora in it, the bed already feels huge.

Riku sits up only to notice the pillow on Sora’s side is gone too and the way the sheets are drawn taught over the edge, it’s as if Sora was pulled over it.

He puts his legs over his side of the bed, and stands up. As soon as he makes his way to the other side of the bed, he can hear that Sora hasn’t gone far.

Riku’s heart aches when he sees Sora on the floor, hands curled into the sheets, legs drawn up so tight.

“Sora,” Riku says, voice rough. Sora’s eyes snap up at him and he looks like a skittish animal. “Can I join you?”

Sora looks at him as if contemplating whether to let him stay or go, until he nods meekly. Riku kneels down and then lays down beside him. The floor is hard and unforgiving, but Sora’s presence is warm. When Riku puts his arms around him and pulls him close, Sora curls into him so naturally. He pulls his knees up so he can cradle Sora against his body.

“Bad dream?” Riku asks in a whisper. Sora shakes his head.

“Don’t know...” Sora responds. “I don’t think so. Woke up feeling... angry, scared,” he hands curl into Riku’s shirt like seeking an anchor. “I didn’t want to wake you up.. sorry.”

Riku runs his hands over Sora’s back and kisses his forehead. “Shh, you can wake me up whenever you want, for anything,” Riku whispers. “Just means I get to spend more time with you.”

It’s sappy and sweet but it makes Sora laugh wetly, so it’s worth it.

They lay together on the floor until Sora’s heavy breathing evens back into it’s usual calm cadence.

“I’ve got something for you,” Riku says, feeling a little brave. He gets up, walks back to his side of the bed and pulls something out of the drawer of his nightstand. Sora looks confused when he lays back down but curls back into his embrace easily.

“Here,” Riku says and holds up what he got up to get.

It’s a stone, a little jagged and black, with gold streaks. Sora gasps when he sees it.

“How...” Sora says and takes it gently from Riku. “You said you lost it.”

“I lied,” Riku says. “I was so happy when you gave it me, but when you said you had one for the others too, I told you I lost it.” He sighs. “I was stupid and jealous and mean. I remember you tried not to cry when I told you I lost it.”

Sora turns the stone over in his hands in awe. “I didn’t...” he starts. “I didn’t get everyone else one. Just you. But I didn’t want you to think I was weird. Where was it all this time?”

Riku sighs again and combs his fingers through Sora’s hair. “In the secret place. I hid it there, took me ages to dig it up,” he says.

“You went to Destiny Islands to dig up an old stone?” Sora asks, his lip wobbling again. “Just to show me you didn’t really lose it?”

Riku shrugs and smiles softly. After everything they’ve done for each other, this is the thing that really gets to Sora. He just loves him more for it.

“I brought you a precious thing,” Riku says, trying to remember the words from the book Fairy Godmother gave him. “That was thought to be lost but never really was... in the hope that one day you’ll marry me.”

Once the words were out, Riku’s face flushes so hard he’s grateful they’re in the dark.

“You wha...” Sora asks, looking befuddled. “What are you talking about? We’re already getting married.”

Riku curls his hand around the hand Sora is using to hold the stone. “Yeah but... we did it like we were discussing a mission. You deserve a romantic proposal,” Riku says. “And Fairy Godmother gave me a tip on how to do it. This is the first part.”

“There’s more?” Sora asks. Even in the dark, it’s easy to see his quiet excitement.

Riku nods, feeling a little apprehensive.

“Well, then I can’t wait,” Sora says. “To see what’s next.” He curls close to kiss Riku, a long, slow press of affection that has them curling closer together on instinct.

Riku gives him a shy smile when they pull apart.

“Riku?” Sora asks and Riku hums in response. “Can we go back to bed? I don’t feel so scared anymore.”

Riku grins and nods. Before Sora can stand, Riku moves his arms so he can pick Sora up. The other’s arms wrap around him instinctively, his legs dangling over Riku’s arm. “Show off...” he says, while still looking pleased.

His face is creased and red and his eyes are watery and drooping and Riku thinks he’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen when he drops him unceremoniously in the middle of the bed.

Sora lands with a shout and bursts into laughter. Riku joins him and they tussle there for a minute before settling into a heap.

The first few rays of dawn peek through the curtains as they fall back to sleep, and the light glitters off the gold in the stone still in Sora’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the pretty stone is an official trope in the Soriku fandom and I love it. This was my take on it.


	13. Let him eat cake - Royalty au

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Royalty au - Sora is organising a get-together as Prince Consort after a war and makes Riku taste all the cakes he's picked out.

“You’re sure you want my opinion?” Riku asks. It’s nice to see him out of his uniform. During the war he wore it every day and though his regular Royal dress was pretty elaborate, it wasn’t quite as stiff as his uniform.

“I always want your opinion,” Sora says, looking at Riku with a confused expression.

Riku raises an eyebrow. “The last time I tried one of your desserts, my reaction had me banned from your room for two days,” he says, although his tone doesn’t imply he minds terribly. “The tart of...”

“Tarte au fruits,” Sora says and Riku watches his mouth while he says it. “With the first fruit of summer, you heathen, that was a masterpiece.”

Riku nods. “No doubt,” Riku says. “And I liked the fruit, just not the cake. You know I don’t like sweet things, my love.”

The term of endearment melts Sora’s expression because he’s weak and he knows that. “Which is why this time, I went for not sweet desserts,” Sora explains and picks up the first plate. “Matcha, from the Kingdom of San Fransokyo. You like green tea.”

Riku nods and takes the gold fork Sora offers him. “It smells strong,” Riku says and takes a bite. The look on his face is unreadable at first and then pleased. He swallows and smiles. “I like this very much.”

Sora puts the plate down and goes over to the next. “Tiramisu, with dark chocolate and coffee from Traverse Kingdom,” Sora explains and offers him another bite.

This piece too turns out to be a success, and as they make their way down a line of desserts, some of the staff stop to watch the Royal couple.

“I know you tend to draw an audience when you go places,” Sora says, reaching up to wipe a spot of cream off of the corner of Riku’s mouth. “But everyone looks enraptured at the sight of you eating cake.”

Riku looks around and all of the staff jump to attention and move about as if they haven’t just been caught gawking. He grins. “Well, I thought all cake was sweet,” Riku says.

Sora sets the plate down on the table and fiddles with the tassels on Riku’s coat. “You’re surprisingly uncultured for a King,” Sora says, tone teasing. “I hope the guests like them.”

They walk through the gardens back to the castle while the staff clear away the samples of cake.

“I’m going to say something,” Riku says and Sora peers up at him, hand hooked into Riku’s arm. “And I’m only going to because the war is over and I’m more emotional than usual.”

Sora grins and gives his arm a tug. “You say that like you don’t regularly spend time on our bedroom floor with your head in my lap,” he says. “Emoting over something that’s happened.”

Naturally Riku ignores him. “My mother would have been very proud of you,” he says. Sora falls completely silent. “I know you two didn’t have long to talk about what being a King’s consort really entails but... the way you defended the castle and everyone in it from Lord Xehanort, the way you kept my council in check and weeded out the two who were betraying me.”

There’s a change in Sora’s posture that makes it seem like he doesn’t know whether to be proud or shy. Either way, Riku continues.

“You’re incredible,” he says. “And this city would’ve burned to the ground if it wasn’t for you. You’ll never know how grateful I am for that.”

Sora tugs on his arm. “You don’t have to be grateful,” he says. “We’re a team! And I try to be the best consort I can for my King and his people.”

“Our people,” Riku corrects him. “You may have grown up on the Destiny Islands, but you’re Scalan now and the people love you for it.”

Sora stops and Riku stops with him.

“Alright, then I accept your praise!” Sora says. He climbs a few steps so he and Riku see eye to eye. “Sappy as it is.”

Riku reaches out and takes both hands.

“It’s all that cake you fed me,” Riku says and leans in. “I’m full of sweetness now.”

Sora grins and closes the rest of the distance between them. “None of those cakes were sweet, you know,” he says. “That’s all you.”

The cakes may not have been sweet but the way they meet in the middle in a kiss they shouldn’t be having in front of so many people the whole world feels as sweet as can be and neither of them seem to very bothered by that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned before, the Royalty au has a pretty vast canon at this point, despite it being incredibly au. In case you're new to the au: Riku is the prince of Scala ad Caelum and he has an arranged marriage with Sora, a prince from Destiny Islands. He eventually becomes King and Sora is a handful of a Consort.


	14. Arms made for holding - Post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Riku needs more affection than Sora knows, and learns how to ask for it.

The first time Riku pushes Sora away from him when he hugs Riku, he’s in genuine shock. Sora knows Riku isn’t a big hugger, but he’s never minded, just sighs, grins and lets Sora cuddle as close as he likes.

They don’t talk about it, but Sora can take a hint sometimes and this hint is pretty clear.

It takes years for Sora to realize that Riku not being a big hugger is just code for Riku has difficulty asking for the things he wants.

“You look tired,” Sora says to him in the Gummiship dock at Disney Castle. Riku’s hair is a little limp and his clothes a little rumpled and there are smudges under his eyes. Sora wants to reach out and hold him close and rub warm thumbs under his eyes to make the tired smudges magically disappear.

But Riku is Riku so he just shrugs. “I’m fine,” he says. “I’ll be fine. Just had a bad sleep.”

It’s a fib if there ever was one, so Sora decides not to dignify it with an answer, just smiles as wide as he can and holds his arms out like he’s trying to catch something.

“What are you doing?” Riku asks, his body language tense. “You want to be a Gummiship, too?”

Sora almost sticks out his tongue but instead just flaps his arms. “Shut up, just give me a hug already!”

Riku looks at him in surprise. “I... what?” He asks. “Why?”

They’re not together, not like that, but Sora’s determined they will be. They spend so much time together, they eat together and see new places together. Sora gets butterflies whenever he’s around Riku, wants to feel how warm his hand would feel in his, what it would be like to kiss him.

“Because you’re tired,” Sora explains slowly. “And stressed. Hugs really help with that... c’mon!”

Riku hesitates for a moment but then steps closer to the circle of Sora’s arms, who lets his impatience get the better of him and wraps his arms as far and tight as he can around his best friend.

Sora ends up on his toes, because Riku is tall and getting taller by the minute and boy does Sora think that’s great. Because Riku was going to end up tall and strong and smart and funny... Sora always told everyone how great he is, now they could all see it.

Not that he wasn’t a little possessive about it. He likes that Riku gives him shy smiles he thinks Sora can’t see, or how Riku says his name in a way no one else can or should.

It takes a good full minute for Riku to relax, but when he does, it’s like sinking into a firm, comfortable bed at the end of a long day.

“I know you can do better than this,” Sora says and Riku never, ever lets himself be challenged without meeting obstinately head on.

The result is breathtaking. Riku’s strong arms around Sora’s waist, his warm face buried in Sora’s throat, who laughs at the tickle of his breath, and he pulls him so close he lifts Sora right off the ground.

It’s a long, wonderful squeeze and when Riku sets Sora back down it’s like he just fell out of orbit and right back to earth, his head spinning just a little.

Riku looks straight up bashful when Sora pulls back enough to look him in the face but his arms are still around Sora’s waist.

“Guess I am a little tired,” Riku admits. “Thanks for the hug, it really helped.”

Sora puts his hands on Riku’s chest and he can feel the bump bump bump of his heart underneath. “You can have as many as you want, you know,” Sora says. Riku really does make things too complicated sometimes. “Whenever you like!”

Judging from the soft look on Riku’s face they’ll definitely be doing all the things Sora has been thinking about soon. But he refrains from leaning in because a Gummiship hangar is no place at all for a first kiss.

“Yeah, well...” Riku says. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Don’t be reckless, don’t be rude to strangers,” Sora instructs him. “And do not fall asleep at the wheel.”

This time Riku bursts into laughter. All the tension in his body seeps out and he’s more himself again.

The sudden hug he’s pulled into isn’t quite as dramatic as the one they just had but it comes from Riku so it shoots straight through Sora’s heart like an arrow and hits the bull’s eye right in the soft, gooey center that Sora’s sure is the place all those butterflies come from.

It lingers only for a second before Riku pulls away, their hands and fingers touching as they part.

Riku is all Keyblade Master and sharp eyed when he goes to the Gummiship. When Sora waves exuberantly at him he still has a dorky grin and a wave of his own to spare.

Once the ship and his best friend are gone, Sora wraps his arms around himself.

It’s no hug from your best friend who you want to be your boyfriend but the memory lingers long enough to keep Sora smiling all day.

He makes a note to greet Riku with arms wide open, every time he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sora seems like a hugger, although only for specific people. But once you're on the hugging list, he hugs like there's no tomorrow. Riku is at the top of the list.


	15. A changed destiny - Royalty au

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Royalty au - An attempt is made on the King's life. Sora deals with it best as he can. 
> 
> Warning: vague descriptions of violence and blood. Has a happy ending.

Sora has never seen this much blood in his life. It’s everywhere, all over his hands and arms, all the way down the side of his clothes. There are even splatters on his shoes.

He stares at the closed door of the room he was just pushed out of with an empty stare, bloodied hands out in front of him.

“My Prince?” A voice enters his hearing slowly, far away like an echo until a hand touches his arm and he whips around like a frightened animal.

Mina pulls back just as quick but regains her composure quickly. “Sir, let me help you wash this off,” she says, tone gentle and soft.

“I-I can’t,” Sora says. “I can’t leave... I have to stay.” His limbs start to shake.

His lady in waiting takes him by the arm, blood smearing onto her pretty dress and her skin. Sora leans into her.

“There’s nothing you can do right now,” she says. “But we can get you cleaned up so when he sees you he won’t be alarmed.”

Sora lets himself be lead to another room. He mumbles where Yozora is, if anyone else was hurt, if they found the person who did it.

Mina settles him on the edge of the tub in his own bathroom and efficiently pulls all his bloody clothes off. “Prince Yozora is with his nannies, we’re pretty sure he didn’t see what happened,” she tells him. She takes a cloth and warm water and gently wipes the blood off of him. “No one but the King was hurt and yes, they managed to apprehend the man who did it. They’re probably questioning him now.”

“They tried to kill my husband,” Sora says, breathless and panic rising in his voice. “They tried to kill my...”

Mina shakes her head, grabs his hands and kneels down so she can look him in the eye. “But they didn’t,” she says firmly. “You pushed him to the side just in time... they’ll do everything they can to make him right as rain, my Prince.”

In an undeniable breach of protocol, Sora puts his arms around Mina and breaks down. Mina just sets her hands on his head and lets him.

“I-I’ve ruined your dress,” he says through his tears.

She laughs. “Oh, it’s fine,” she says. “You can always get me another one.”

Whether he laughs or cries or both, it doesn’t matter and she stays with him.

—

The smell of blood is gone now, Mina having scrubbed him clean and stuck him in comfortable, clean clothes. Sora vows to buy her a hundred new dresses.

Riku looks both drowsy and agitated. His entire upper body is swathed in bandages and covered by a loose shirt.

Sora is sure he’s hurting him with how hard he’s gripping Riku’s hand but he can’t seem to loosen his grip. If Riku minds he doesn’t show it.

“This has to be the last straw, Your Majesty,” the Lord Chancellor says. “Lord Xehanort has made a number of provocations but this... we cannot let this go unpunished.”

The look on Riku’s face turns to something new, stern but also sad.

Sora looks between him and the Lord Chancellor. “Wait... you mean a war?” He asks, eyes wide. “You’re kidding!”

“Your Royal Highness, this is no laughing matter,” the Lord Chancellor replies.

“Oh really?” Sora says, voice rising. “I hadn’t noticed!”

“Sora...” Riku attempts to interject.

“No, no!” Sora continues. “No, I just almost watched him get shot through the heart right in front of me and you actually think I think this is funny?”

The Lord Chancellor lowers his head and doesn’t respond.

“May I have a moment, my Lord?” Riku asks and the Lord Chancellor exits the room silently.

The silence that remains is tense and uncomfortable.

“My love...”

Sora pulls his hand straight out of Riku’s and stands. “Do not call me that, not when you’re about to tell me I get to watch you go to war for a third time,” Sora says.

Riku sits up straighter in bed. “Sora, I can’t let him do this,” he says. “Wars have been started over less, an assassination attempt on the King means things will only get worse. Xehanort will only start going to more extremes. What if he targets you? Or Yozora?”

Sora shakes his head. “I know that! I know... I just,” he says and deflates when Riku holds out his arm.

“Will you come here and sit with me?” His tone is stern but still has the underlying gentle way he always has when he speaks to Sora.

Sora complies and sits on the large bed next to Riku. Riku lifts his hand and lays it on Sora’s cheek. “I need you,” he says. “I need you or this will fail. I need you to help me protect this kingdom and the people in it.”

It’s a plea that goes straight to Sora’s heart and he nods. “I’ll come with you,” he says, his face losing the angered edge. “Let me come with you.”

But Riku shakes his head. “You can’t,” he says. “You have to stay here and rule in my stead. Watch over our son. Make sure the council doesn’t muck things up,” it makes Sora grin and Riku smile. “You’re the only person in the world I trust to do it.”

They had just gone out to go for a walk. If Sora had known the day would end with Riku nearly dying and a war looming on the horizon he may have opted to stay in bed.

“Now, kiss me,” Riku says. “I almost died, you know.”

Sora smacks his leg hard enough to make him yelp but he still leans in to kiss Riku deeply, almost desperately. He smells of clean clothes and herbal medicine but when Sora breaks away and then carefully buries himself into Riku’s embrace Sora thanks all the gods he can think of that he’s warm and alive and still with him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so angry,” Riku mumbles into Sora’s hair, his voice a little drowsy again now that they’re just sitting together. “Thought you might jump on a Chocobo and go find Xehanort so you could face him yourself.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Sora snorts. “And I’m still angry. If I see him, he’ll regret it.”

Riku only hums in response. Sora wraps his around Riku’s and doesn’t let go until long afrer Riku falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say, other than just another chunk from the Royalty au. Xehonort is also a baddie in this au, just like in canon. He thinks he should be sitting on the Scala throne, Sora and Riku and their people disagree. War ensues.


	16. Date day - Post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Sora takes Riku to a pop-up theme cafe for their date day.

Riku is at least a head taller than most of the people in line, mostly girls, and a few boyfriends. Sora looks down the line and is pleased to see it doesn’t seem like such a long wait anymore.

“I can’t believe you said okay to coming here for date day,” Sora says, bouncing on his feet with excitement.

Riku just hums and doesn’t look up from the menu. “You said you wanted to go,” he says. “Why wouldn’t I be okay with that. I can’t decide what I want, I’m getting both. And the parfait.”

He snaps the menu shut and puts an arm around Sora’s shoulder, who leans into his side. “Both?” Sora asks and puts his arms around Riku’s waist. “You’re a chef’s dream come true... not that I’m actually a chef but...”

The way Riku tugs him even closer could be a way to show him affection or to give him a noogie, but likely because it’s date day Riku holds back.

“You are so a chef, how dare you...” Riku says but stops when the restaurant employee taking orders in the line comes up to them. “Hi, we’d like... the Baymax Burger Set, Go Go Creme Pasta Set... the Big Hero 6 sandwich...”

He continues to order what seems like half the menu and the woman taking the order’s eyes are a little wide when she takes the menu from him.

Sora laughs.

“What? I’m a big boy,” Riku says. “And I do love a parfait.”

What Sora really wants is to kiss Riku, even if he doesn’t really like kissing in public, because he can’t just stand there with his leather jacket and big boots and pretty face and not expect Sora to have an absolutely ginormous crush on him.

It’s only a ten minute wait before they’re lead to a table. When Hiro told Sora there was a pop-up café about the Big Hero 6, Sora first asked what a pop-up café was and after that, immediately decided he needed to go.

“I wonder what it would be like if there was a café about us,” Sora says. Riku looks at him with amused green eyes and grins.

“That would be funny,” he says. “What dish would you have?”

It sends Sora into a tizzy of having to choose his favorite dish when there are so many. He’s almost decided when their orders arrive.

“Okay wait, I want to take pictures,” Riku says, pulling his Gummiphone out of his black backpack. “Try yours first,” he directs and ends up with a picture of Sora with his sandwich in his hands and a mouthful. “Ah so cute... I’m keeping this one.”

“You keep all my pictures!” Sora says when his mouth is empty. “I’m not cute.”

Riku snorts and puts his down so he can dig into his own food. “I beg to differ,” he says around a mouthful of burger and then swallows. “You’re cute, handsome, funny, smart...”

“Shut up Riku, before I pelt you with this sandwich,” Sora warns him even though he’s grinning and blushing just a little. “Lemme try your burger!”

“I will not shut up,” Riku says and holds the burger out to Sora. “It’s date day which means I have indisputable rights to sappiness and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“I like the egg on the burger,” Sora says. The response makes Riku laugh out loud and let Sora have another bite.

Riku ends up paying because he says ‘you paid for the picnic last time and you made me two flower crowns so it’s my turn’ and Sora cannot argue with that.

They take a selfie in front of the café and Sora sends it to the group chat with the gang from San Fransokyo. The reactions are immediate and joyful and make Sora smile. He sets it as his new wallpaper as well.

On the way back to the Gummiship they hold hands and chat and joke. When they get back Sora crawls into Riku’s lap and they kiss until their jaws ache. Riku puts feet up on the dash like a rebel and looks at Sora in way that has his knees a little shaky.

“I love you,” Riku says, so easily and casual and confident, like he’s ordering a burger or asking the waiter for a second glass of iced tea because Sora likes it so much. “A whole lot.”

Sora tucks silver hair behind his ears on both sides but they just flick straight back to frame his face. “I love you a whole lot,” Sora says and leans down to kiss him again.

“We should get back,” Riku says even though he doesn’t sound like he wants to at all.

Sora shakes his head. “It’s date day, we can’t go back yet,” he says.

“Can’t argue with that,” Riku says and then pulls Sora down for another kiss Sora hopes will last the rest of the day.

He swings his legs over the arm of the driver’s seat and resolves to make it last as long as he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just really love the idea of them being metrocosmopolitan in San Fransokyo together. I mean... that little bit where Sora says he wants to see the big city in 3 was so sweet, so I let him go to the big city in my fics as often as I can.


	17. Openhearted - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Riku opens up to Sora, who has been ready for that for a long time.

It’s a few hours still to get back to the Mysterious Tower so Riku puts the Gummiship in park and its shields up high. His eyes are drooping and Sora’s hands are shaky with fatigue so he recommends they sleep for a little while and then go home.

Sora nods and saunters to the back of the ship, drops his jacket and shoes by the side of the bunk. There’s a top and bottom one, Sora takes the top.

The clumsy way he crawls up into the small alcove makes Riku smile. He picks up Sora’s jacket and hangs it on the hook, sets his shoes straight and toes off his own boots. He sets them next to each other and his stomach curls.

Riku takes his own jacket off and crawls into the bottom bunk. He’s far too tall to fit but when he rolls up it’s snug and the mattress and pillow are soft and comfortable. The snap of his wrist braces coming off is so loud it’s almost a bang.

The space in-between is so quiet.

A long sigh pushes out of him when Riku lies down flat on his back.

“Riku?” Sora asks from the top bunk.

His eyes flicker open. “Yeah, what’s up?”

The lethargy he felt before settles quicker into his body quicker and his eyes grow heavier by the second, until Sora speaks.

“When the islands fell…” he says and it’s like a bucket of cold water to the face. They had discussed how things had gone sour when they were in the Dark Margin, but it never came down to what Riku had done, the horrible mistakes he had made. Dropping their home into darkness, putting both Sora and Kairi is danger, leading ultimately to Sora being tangled so deeply into a web people made who wanted to use him or hurt him that there was no getting away anymore. That was Riku’s fault and now the moment had finally come that Sora would confront him.

“You held out your hand to me,” Sora says, throwing Riku for another loop. “And I struggled so hard to reach you, but it was like you didn’t really want me to take your hand. You just… kinda stood there.”

Riku sighs. “I did want you to,” he says. “I’m glad that you didn’t though.”

Above him, Sora makes a confused sound. “Huh, what do you mean?”

“Because I was falling into darkness, Sora,” he says. “And I would never have been able to forgive myself if I dragged you down with me. No matter how much I wanted you to be with me.”

It feels like he’s confessed something and it terrifies him, so Riku curls his fists and lays them on his stomach and hopes to everything he believes in that Sora won’t mind that he’d just lain his heart bare.

“I thought it was because I wasn’t strong enough,” Sora replies.

It’s not funny but Riku laughs anyway, a humorless sound that makes his stomach hurt. Sora was always the strong one of the two of them, made of steely determination and unfailing kindness, strength born from the core of his heart that stretched all the way out to the tips of his fingers and his toes. Riku is the fragile one, the one who gave into weakness.

“Why is that funny?” Sora asks, sounding confused again.

Riku shakes his head even though Sora can’t see him. “It’s not,” Riku says. “It’s ironic. Because you’re the strong one, not me. You always have been. That’s why I…” He can’t say more than that. He’s already bared so much of himself, if he does anymore he might bleed out and never recover.

The quiet is deafening.

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku sees a hand appear, from the edge of the bunk. It was more irony, that Riku lays his damaged soul bare and Sora just reaches out and draws him in closer. His eyes warm and he helplessly reaches out to take Sora’s hand. It’s an awkward angle but it’s so easy that he can’t help himself. Sora’s hand is warm and soft and it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world. They lay there for several minutes, their hands joined in that awkward angle before Sora pulls away.

Riku’s hand feels empty and bereft.

Until he hears Sora move around above him and then his feet appear on the steps of the bunk ladder. His best friend climbs down and then looks down at him with wide blue eyes. Riku just looks at him, not understanding what Sora is asking for.

“Move over already,” Sora says, impatiently but kind. Riku does, even though there’s barely any room left.

Sora puts himself in the space Riku creates and the feeling he had when their hands were joined multiplies by a hundred, by a thousand, by infinity because Sora curls into the gap Riku leaves open for him. No struggle, no danger, just lays his head on the pillow next to Riku’s and looks at him in a way he’s never looked at him before.

Or maybe he had and Riku hadn’t been strong enough to realise.

“You’re stronger than that,” Sora says. “Whatever it is inside you that’s telling you you’re not. And I’ve known you forever so I know best.”

Riku’s insecurity could argue with Sora, but Riku doesn’t let it.

“Until you can tell yourself that,” Sora says. “I’ll remind you.”

His best friend presses his forehead to Riku’s and smiles at him. He can’t say anything, but he hopes Sora knows how grateful he is, how much he admires him, how much he loves him. Sora’s hand comes to a rest on his side.

“When you’re ready to tell me all those other things,” Sora says. “I’ll be here.”

The quiet turns to music they can’t hear, but fills the ship like a symphony.

Riku curls his hand around Sora’s and closes his eyes to the sound of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just... Riku needs to share with the class. Especially with Sora. With his 'got my own despair and darkness etc'.   
> Just let all those feelings hang out.
> 
> Like Sora said in KH2: why do you gotta do everything on your own, man?!


	18. The Oneiromancer - post-canon/future-fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon/future-fic - Riku reads up on the science of dreams.
> 
> Warning: very mild, blink it and you miss it, mature bits at the end.

It occurs to Riku out of the blue that he should read up on dreaming. Being someone’s personal Dream eater and all.

Yen Sid lends him books that he reads whenever he gets the chance, in between missions, on the Gummiship, in bed with Sora tangled around his waist snoring into his side.

There’s next to nothing on being a Dream eater, but there is more than enough on dreaming. Prophetic dreaming, fever dreaming, oneiromancy (he wonders if that’s the technical term for what he is), waking dreams, lucid dreaming.

Stress brings on nightmares in Sora. Those bring on a change in Riku, just under his skin. He doesn’t know how he does it but in the blink of an eye he’s diving into Sora’s subconscious.

The world is dark and crumbling and everyone they know is on the ground, despair and defeat heavy in the air. Sora stands in the center of it, darkness swirlingover his head like the eye of a storm.

“Sora!” Riku calls to him, pushing through his nightmare like braving a hurricane. When he reaches him, Riku cups his hands over Sora’s cheeks, black tears like tar spilling from yellow eyes over Riku’s fingers.

He kisses him, feels his whole being fill up with the darkness, and like he has so many times before and releases it.

The storm dies, all that remains is a grassy field and sunshine. Sora’s eyes are heavenly blue when Riku pulls away from him.

He wakes with just a remnant of the taste of ash in his mouth. When Riku sees Sora’s calm face sleeping next to him, he presses his mouth to his brown hair and the taste disappears.

As they grow older, Riku starts to write dreams down. His own and Sora’s. Sometimes when Sora often dreams of something, Riku will bring it up casually in conversation.

“You know me so well,” Sora says, face bright with adoration that Riku bathes in. Like cool water, like sunlight.

When they decide to get married, Riku whispers to him at night. “Thank you,” face to face in the dark, in their bed.

“For what?” Sora asks.

Riku touches his face. “For making my dreams come true,” he says.

Sora buries his flushed face into his pillow and laughs. “Guess we had the same dream,” he says. “But you’d know... you know all my dreams by heart.”

Riku does. The good ones, the bad ones. But sometimes, they still take him by surprise.

He could draw a path through their life by Sora’s dreams. How sometimes Sora dreams things that haven’t happened yet but eventually do, how he dreams of things he’s afraid of but cannot admit, how he dreams of Riku sometimes, just as he is, like who Riku is, is the best version he can come up with.

“You know I never dream when we do this,” Sora admits breathlessly into Riku’s bare chest, his skin just as warm as Sora’s mouth from exertion. “It goes all quiet in my head, it’s nice.”

Riku wraps his leg around Sora’s, bare skin still electric. It’s true, Riku knows, Sora’s mind is always blissfully calm after they make love. It’s one of the many things about his dreams that Riku knows.

Sora falls into sleep and Riku, the oneiromancer, the Dream eater, hears it in his mind like a stone hitting the water, calm ripples following.

There are no nightmares to save Sora from, but Riku follows him down anyway, and lingers in his dreams until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because he's a Dream eater. He should know his trade, for technical and boyfriend purposes.


	19. Ceremony of some importance - future-fit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future-fic - More of Yozora as their kiddo au. They get married in the living room because Yozora wants a picture and some cake.

Sora is tucking Yozora in when his son peeps out from under his blanket.

“Papa, why aren’t you and dad married?” He asks, one blue and one red eye wide with curiosity.

It takes Sora by surprise because it was the first time he’d been asked. It had never occurred to him, and in his mind... weren’t they already? Just because they never had a ceremony didn’t mean they weren’t.

“Well, I guess we just never got around to it!” Sora says.

“But you’re best friends,” Yozora says.

Sora nods. “Yes.”

“And you’re in love,” Yozora continues.

Sora nods again. “Uh, yeah...” The logic was sound but Yozora’s insistence was starting to confuse him.

“... and you make dad breakfast and lunch and dinner every day, even those rolly egg things that make you frown but you know dad likes them so much.”

It brushes away the confusion and replaces it with a grin. Sora’s lunches that Riku took with him every day were the envy of the Keyblade Academy faculty.

“You going somewhere with this, little man?” Sora asks.

Yozora tightens his hold on Bo and snuggles down more into his pillow. “So you should be married! And you can put a picture up like at my friends’ houses!”

There were plenty of pictures up in the house of them, ranging from when they were small right up until recently. Just no wedding photo, because they never had a wedding.

“Alright,” Sora says. “You go to sleep and I’ll see what your dad thinks about it.”

Yozora giggles. “You have to bend down on one knee, though.”

—

“Your knee bothering you?” Is Riku’s response to Sora kneeling in the kitchen doorway. He’s already walking to the fridge to get Sora’s icepack when Sora waves his arms.

“It’s supposed to be a proposal, you jerk,” Sora says, standing up when his knee actually starts to hurt. He sits down on one of the kitchen chairs and sighs.

Riku pays him little mind and sits down across from him. He takes Sora’s leg with the bad knee and puts it on his lap, gently pressing the icepack on it.

“A proposal for what?” Riku asks and Sora rolls his eyes. He’s supposed to be the sharper of the two of them but he’s failing miserably.

“Marriage,” Sora says. “Yozora just brought up the fact that we’re not married.”

Riku looks up at Sora, his head tilted so he’s looking up at him through a thick set of pale lashes, making the turquoise seem just slightly eerie.

Then he laughs.

“Where’d that even come from?” Riku asks, gently massaging Sora’s knee with the ice. The tension began to ebb already.

“He saw some pictures at his friend’s house,” Sora explains, and cringes when Riku hits a delicate spot. “And we’re best friends and we’re in love and I make you those rolled eggs.”

Riku looks ready to burst into laughter again but he manages to keep his cool. “I do love those rolled eggs.”

“Rikuuuu,” Sora complains. “Do you think we should get married?”

Instead of a flippant reply, Riku contemplates before answering. “I wouldn’t mind being married,” he says. “Although I’m not sure what it’s supposed to change. And it’s not like we don’t give each other rings all the time.”

Sora sighs and nods. “Right!”

“Any ceremony or vow would be nice,” Riku says. “But I’ve been yours my whole life, and that won’t ever change.”

How Riku went from snarky to deeply, soul movingly romantic in the blink of an eye Sora will never know, but it makes him smile.

“You’re only mine because I was yours, too,” Sora replies, because he can give as good as he gets. “From the beginning, even when I didn’t know.” He reaches out his hand and Riku takes it.

“So what do we do,” Riku says, taking the icepack away to lay his big, warm hand of Sora’s knee. “To keep our son from being disappointed?”

—

“Dearly beloved,” Yozora says between them, little scrap of paper in his hand. “We are gathered here today so that my dads can get married.”

Both Sora and Riku look out at the crowd, which consists of Bo the Chocobo and Koko the cat.

“It’s kinda weird they weren’t yet, so I’m going to fix that,” Yozora continues, his voice solemn. Both Sora and Riku try very hard not to grin.

They’re sitting across from one another on the floor, hands joined between them.

“Do you promise to protect and love and always be nice to each other,” Yozora says. “And never lie or keep any secrets or cheat at backyard races?”

Sora has to bite his lip to keep from laughing. When they both look at Yozora he rolls his eyes and sighs loudly.

“You have to say I do!”

Both of them make surprised noises.

“Oh yeah! I do!” Sora says first.

“Me too,” Riku says, only slightly more composed. “I do, I do, I do.”

Yozora nods, back in his solemn attitude. “Then I say you are now married! And even thought it’s kinda gross, you have to kiss or it doesn’t count.”

Sora leans in first, smiling wide. “Gotta make it count,” he says before he kisses Riku’s smile.

When he pulls away, Riku whispers. “We just got married on the floor.”

“But we kissed so it absolutely counts,” Sora whispers back.

“Alright! Now all that’s left is taking the photo and then we can have cake!” Yozora says as he tucks the crumpled note into his pocket. As Riku stands, he hoists Yozora up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

From his spot on the ground, Riku almost looms over Sora. But when he holds out a hand, Sora can’t help but smile.

“You coming?” Riku asks and Sora grabs onto it, letting himself be pulled all the way up and it feels a little like flying.

“If you two are going somewhere, I’m coming too!” He says.

He was theirs from the start anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another big pile of fluffiness. Yozora has inherited both of his father's natures, which bodes well for the world.


	20. Resolutions - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - a New Years' drabble I wrote for New Years.

“Gonna make a New Year’s resolution?” Axel asks, tipping his drink at Sora.

“Huh?” Sora asks, looking confused. New Years, like Christmas, is really different back home than it is in Radiant Garden. Back home there’s just bonfires and sparklers and staying up to watch the first sunrise in a new year.

When Axel mentioned something about a fireworks show, Sora begged Riku if they could spend New Years in Radiant Garden.Riku said yes, but in that way that he said yes when he knew Sora really wanted something whether or not Riku liked it.

Sora peered over his shoulder quickly and saw Riku chatting with Isa and Naminé, a smile on his face, so he wasn’t too worried Riku wasn’t having a good time.

“What’s a New Years resolution?” Sora asks.

Axel shrugs. “You know, something you plan to do now that it’s a new year,” he explains. “Maybe break a bad habit or start doing something you hadn’t made time for yet.”

Sora heard what he was saying but couldn’t think of a thing he thought would be a good resolution. He looks around the crowd and sighs. “I can’t think of anything,” he says, deflating.

“That’s okay!” Axel says, giving Sora’s shoulder a pat. “You don’t have to know at midnight... you can think about it.”

It just sends Sora even deeper into thought and he’s only shaken from it when Axel turns and starts yelling.

“Hey, Princess!” He shouts and a little bit away Kairi turns with a raised eyebrow.

“What?!” She shouts back.

“Who’re you kissing at midnight?” The shouting conversation continues and Sora grins when Kairi rolls her eyes. Not too long ago Sora was sure he wished he would be the one Kairi wanted to kiss. But now when he looked at her all he felt was a warm fondness. It was honestly a lot better than the confusing

“Shut up!” Kairi shouts with a rude hand gesture.

Axel turns back to Sora with a huge smirk. “I bet Roxas it’ll be Vanitas,” he says. “I’ve got a feeling I’m gonna be a rich man in this brand new year.”

Sora grins and shakes his head.

“Kid,” Axel says. “I can hear the wheels creaking in your head. Stop the wheels for a second, look to your left and let ‘em spin. I may have a bet who the Princess is gonna kiss at midnight but everyone has a bet on who you will be.”

It doesn’t make Sora any less confused but when he looks to his left his gaze automatically falls upon Riku and that feeling he used to feel about Kairi fills him up head to toe but different, more intense and almost sweeter.

Riku looks at him and smiles.

“One minute, people!” Axel shouts and the wheels spin like crazy in Sora’s head.

Sora sprints over to where Riku stands, ignoring Axel’s encouraging shouts following him.

“Hey,” Riku greets him, knocking his glass against Sora’s. “Made a wish?”

Sora realizes the New Years’ wishes they make on Destiny Islands are like the resolutions Axel was talking about.

“Yeah,” Sora says on an exhale. When he looks at Naminé she smiles and winks at him.

“10... 9... 8...!”

Sora grabs Riku by the wrist and smiles up at him, his face burning. “Something I want to start doing in the new year.”

“7... 6... 5...!”

Riku turns a nice shade of red himself, understanding the grip of Sora’s hand and the look on his face.

“Oh yeah?”

“4... 3... 2...!”

Sora’s not sure about a lot of things, but he’s pretty sure he’s brave enough for this.

“1... Happy New Year!”

They lean in at the same time, everything already in tune and kiss for the very first time.

It’s a pretty good way to start a brand new year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing else to say here, besides 2020 was super weird and 2021 is shaping up to be even weirder, have some fluffy Soriku.


	21. Dive to the heart - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Riku goes to Quadratum to find his best friend. He ends up with a stow-away.

“Riku...”

His head hurts so much, that at first Riku can’t even recognize the voice he hears distantly.

“Riku...”

It becomes clearer, flickering colorful lights seeling through his eyelids. Finally, once the pain subsides and his fog clears enough from his head, Riku opens his eyes.

“Riku!”

Joy rushes through him at the sight of his best friend, spiky brown hair and face just the same as the last time Riku saw him.

“Sora?”

In the blink of an eye, the image of his best friend shakes and disappears, like Riku had seen data do. There one minute, gone the very next. In his wake, a young woman remains.

Her hair is the same color as Sora’s, immacutely so, right down to the slight golden underlying sheen, her eyes the same summer sky shade of blue. She puts her hands on her knees and looks concerned.

“Are you okay?” She asks. “Coming here must’ve been a longer fall than I expected.”

Riku’s face twists in confusion and he sits up. “Who... who are you?” And how did she appear to him as Sora. It wouldn’t be the first time, but this time felt different. She felt... just like him.

The young woman stands up and smiles. “I guess I did look kinda different when we met,” she says. “Before. In the Final World.”

Riku gets up quickly, ignoring the sharp pain in his head. “You! You’re the star! You came with me?”

She puts her hands on her hips and gives him a look he’d seen dozens of times on Sora’s face and his head spins. “I’m not just an interdimensional pathway, you know! And I... I wanted to help.”

It makes a little more sense, but it does occur to Riku that they are not in the place he dreamed about. The darkness around them stretches on for what seems like forever. Below them, a familiar sight, one Riku knew from when he dove into Sora’s heart.

“This is you, huh?” The Star asks, her long white dress brushing over the stained glass surface. Riku looks down and sees the image of himself, but younger. Much younger.

He must have been the age he’d been when Terra and Aqua first visited Destiny Islands. In a halo around his head, there were little circles... a Paopu fruit, the little toy raft Sora’s dad built for them, one of their toy swords and...

“I know that necklace!” The Star says, pointing at it. “Sora was wearing it. Is it yours?”

Riku nods but then shakes his head quickly. “It was... I gave it to him, a long time ago.”

The Star gives him an old smile and wraps her hand around her own necklace. Then she looks up, long winding staircases leading to large black towers, light emitting from the tops, colorful but eerie.

“I think... we’re in your heart, Riku,” she says. “That’s why you can see my true form. And I think we may need to go to the top to get to Quadratum.”

Riku nods. “Okay,” he says. “I don’t know what will happen so stay close alright, I’ll protect you.”

The Star nods and lets him walk before her. “Alright,” she says. “Lead the way.”

_You have made the first choice._

A voice comes from seemingly nowhere and Riku instinctively summons his Keyblade, the Star takes a step closer to him.

_You will have many more choices to make. Even though you are afraid, you are brave of heart._

The pathway up to the next tower lights up.

_The road will lead you to that which is most precious to you._

Riku turns to the Star, who looks determined. “Let’s go together,” Riku says.

The voice does not speak again, but the silence is deafening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, please give me Nameless Star tagging along with Riku to Quadratum to help him find Sora and Yozora. It's on my next game wishlist.


	22. Stretch it out! - Future-fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future-fic - Riku spends the day with little Yozora. He's a handful, because of course he is.

“Riku, Riku, Riku...” a voice wakes him, followed by a kiss on his cheek that makes him grin sleepily. He rolls onto his back and looks up at Sora’s face.

This close up, Sora’s face is a blurry image of tan skin, perfectly placed freckles and blue eyes.

“Time is it?” Riku asks.

Sora runs a hand over Riku’s chest. “Almost nine, kiddo’s in his room reading,” he says. He’s in his outdoor clothes, which means he has errands to run. “I already had the bath time discussion with him and I’m pretty sure I won, so if he tries to weasel out of it.”

“How a child of yours could dislike taking a bath so much,” Riku says through a yawn.

Sora gives him a quick kiss when Riku’s mouth shuts and clambers off the bed. “Because he’s your child too and you hate baths,” he says. “I’m going out for ingredients, both for food and for Keychains. I should be back around dinnertime.”

Riku nods and sits up in their bed. “Hope you find those whatchamacallits you were looking for,” he says, not even attempting to sound like he knew he was talking about.

Sora laughs and pulls on his jacket. “Yeah, me too!” He says, knowing what Riku was referring to immediately. “Enjoy your day off, handsome, don’t let the quarterpint drive you nuts.”

It’s not enough to get Riku out of bed but he waves at Sora and stares at the doorway for a few minutes after he’s gone.

When he gets up, Riku hears no noise coming from Yozora’s room so he takes a quick shower and dresses in comfortable clothes.

He makes their bed and picks up the clothes on the floor to dump them in the hamper. After that Riku walks down the hall and stands in the doorway of Yozora’s room and knocks when he sees his son has his nose buried in a book.

Yozora looks up and smiles. “Hi, daddy,” he greets Riku, placing his book on his bedside table.

“Hey, little man,” Riku says, walking in. “Good morning.” He gives Yozora’s room the same treatment as his and Sora’s, only Yozora clambers out of bed and helps him.

Yozora sings a tune while they clean up and Riku knows already it will be stuck in his head for a few days. Still Yozora’s cute, offkey voice makes him smile.

“Not bad!” Riku says with his hands on his hips as they look around the room. Yozora’s not a messy kid, but he does have books and toys that sometimes don’t make it back to their shelves.

Yozora gives him a thumbs up and giggles when Riku scoops him up with one arm. “You know what time it is?” Riku asks.

Yozora sighs dramatically. “But I don’t wanna...”

Riku ignores him and carries him to the bathroom. “One day you’ll wake up and realize baths are great, just like your papa does,” Riku says as he sets Yozora down.

Yozora shakes his head decidedly but doesn’t argue too much. Within half an hour he’s clean, dressed and his hair is brushed.

“Good job, kiddo,” Riku says, helping him wiggle on a sock.

It makes Yozora smile. “Can we have eggs?”

“Sure,” Riku says. “I can’t make them as good as your papa does but we’ll make do.”

Yozora flies out of the bathroom towards the kitchen, arms flapping like a bird. “That’s okay, daddy!” He calls out. “You’re good at other stuff!”

There’s an amused look on Riku’s face all throughout breakfast.

—

“And the W...” Riku says while Yozora concentrates hard on writing the letter.

“Done! Yellow...” Yozora says and hands the little wooden sign to Riku. “Can I stick it in there?”

Riku nods. “Sure,” he says and watches while Yozora carefully sticks the little sign in the large pot of yellow roses. “All done, thanks for helping me out.”

“It was fun!” Yozora says. “But uh.. it’s not as nice as your signs, daddy.” He points at the little signs in other pots with Riku’s neat cursive on them.

“Don’t be silly,” Riku says, reaching out to ruffle Yozora’s hair. “It looks great! You wrote all those letters yourself, with no help.”

Yozora shrugs but smiles, touching the petals of one of the yellow roses. “You should give papa some,” he says. “They’re his favorite.”

Riku starts to clean up while Yozora sits on the wooden countertop, swinging his little legs. “What do you mean by that?”

“That’s what he said when we bought them at the market,” Yozora says. “He said ohh I love these, maybe your dad will grow me some.”

Riku remembers Sora putting the little packets in his hand, but he only said ‘thought you might like to try roses for a change’ and carried on with unpacking.

Yozora looks at him and expectantly cocks his head.

Riku picks up a pair of small shears and lets Yozora pick out the best ones.

—

It takes a great deal of persuasion but when Riku finally gets Yozora down for a nap, he decides to roll out his mat and do some stretching and meditation he usually doesn’t have much time for.

Half an hour later he’s in a position with one leg in the air behind him when he hears the door open.

Sora comes in quietly, probably because he knows it’s Yozora’s naptime. When he says nothing at all, Riku cracks one eye open and looks at Sora. Who is leaning on the back of their sofa looking very amused.

“Hello to you too,” Riku says. “What’s that look for?”

Sora just grins wider and nods for Riku to look behind him. Riku pulls his leg in and sits upright so he can look around.

And sees Yozora on a folded towel, leaning on both hands, his head on the floor and one little leg trying to get high but failing.

Riku lets him try a little longer before clearing his throat loudly. Yozora startles, pitches over and Sora bursts into laughter.

“I’m pretty sure it’s nap time,” Riku says, trying to keep his face stern.

Yozora gives him a sheepish look. “But I said I wasn’t tired, daddy!” Which was just a translation for ‘I’m only not tired because you say I am’.

“You can scoot back to your room or you can stay right there until nap time is over,” Riku says in a friendly tone.

Yozora gives another theatrical moan and sigh but doesn’t give in, pitching himself dramatically onto his side.

Once he realizes both Riku and Sora are ignoring him he’s fast asleep in under ten minutes. Sora gives Riku two thumbs up.

“Solid parenting skills there, sir,” Sora says.

“Get your ingredients?” Riku says, standing and rolling up his mat. “You’re home early.”

Sora hefts his bag of ingredients on to the table and pulls out an extra bag. “Easier to find than I thought!” He shakes the bag. “I’m gonna put these in my workshop, can you put these in the kitchen?”

Riku nods and does what he’s told. Once he’s put all the ingredients away he walks back into the living room and picks up a snoozing Yozora, who thankfully doesn’t wake.

He puts him in bed, tucks him in, makes sure Bo is secured under one arm and closes the door until it’s open by a creak.

When he turns around Sora is in the doorway of his workshop, little bunch of yellow roses in his hand.

“A little blue and red eyed birdy told me they’re your favorite,” Riku says in a low voice and stands in front of Sora.

Sora laughs softly, a flush on his face. “Yeah, they uh... we kissed for the first time,” he says. “In Radiant Garden, in that little square.”

“With all those yellow roses,” Riku says, the more than ten year old memory rushing back to him.

“I’m hopeless,” Sora says, even though he wraps his arms around Riku’s neck.

Before he kisses him, just as he did the first time with yellow roses, he says, “I don’t know, things don’t look too bad from where I’m standing.”

The last thing he sees is tan skin, perfectly placed freckles and blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just get really happy writing this au. And until Nomura tells us who Yozora actually is, he's free real estate.


	23. Sun goddess - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Riku meets up with an old friend, who knows all of his secrets. Well, the one that counts the most, at least.

She hasn’t changed a bit. Even the yellow dress and hair flipped out. There’s a gold bangle around her wrist that glitters in the sunlight, that makes Riku realize how late it is.

“He’s not here,” she says as Riku walks down the wooden pier. “I looked, too!”

“How did you know I was looking?” Riku replies.

She shrugs. “Talked to your mom at the market a few weeks ago,” she says, looking up at him from where she sits. “You should visit more often, she worries about you. Sit down already, my neck is starting to hurt!”

Riku grins and does as he’s told. His heavy black boots look strange against the amber sunset colored ocean water, and the buckles glimmer the same color as her bangle. “Hey, Selphie,” he greets her finally.

“Hiya, Riku,” she greets him back. “Been a real long time, huh. How’s it going?”

It’s light hearted and she probably doesn’t need to hear how he actually feels but it’s so honest that it tugs at Riku’s heart.

“I mean... not great,” he says. “But it’ll be fine.” He hopes. Oh, how he hopes, but he’s looked everywhere and he’s so tired.

Selphie leans back on her hands and giggles. “If anyone can find Sora, it’s you,” she says. “I believe you can, Riku. You’ve just gotta believe, too.”

Riku nods. “I’ll do my best,” he says. “I wouldn’t want to invoke the wrath of the great and powerful Selphie.”

“That’s right!” Selphie says, nodding her head. “Besides... you gave him his necklace.” Riku grins again because of course she remembers that story. “And you’re in love with him.”

It’s like the whole universe goes quiet and all Riku can hear are the waves surrounding the little island he grew up on. So many people had asked and insinuated and prodded and given him looks and Selphie just opened her mouth and said what no one else had before.

She stands up and brushes off her dress. “Don’t tell me you haven’t figured that out yet,” she says, hands on her hips as Riku stands. His face is so hot it must be red as a tomato. “Boys really are hopeless!”

But Riku does know. He just hadn’t been brave enough to say it out loud, and his childhood friend had just done it for him. Sweet and simple but deep and more important than she probably knows.

“Go out there and you find him,” Selphie says. “I know he’s waiting for you.” She clasps her hands in front of her and the bangle glints again. “And when you see him, tell him. No matter what he says, you should tell him. It’ll be so romantic!”

Riku smiles at her and puts a hand on the top of her head, brown hair soft against his fingers. “I’ll do my best,” he repeats. “I promise.”

Selphie holds up her pinky and he laughs and wraps his own around hers. “I know you’re good at keeping promises,” she says. “So I’ll hold you to that.”

“And you stay away from the boys,” Riku says. “They’re hopeless, you know.”

She steps down into the rowboat and sits prim and proper, a waiting look on her face. “Row me home?” He nods and stumbles into the boat, just a smidge too tall to fit, but the boat stays afloat. “And who says I like boys?”

He stares at her and the bursts into laughter. She laughs along with him and waits patiently until Riku picks up the oars.

The amber sunset glow makes her look golden all over, she hums a silly little song she used to when they were small, and Riku rows a little slower than he needs to.

It feels like hope, and Riku lets it wash over him, in time with the sound of the ocean waves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Selphie are both gigantic romantics, Selphie is just more obvious about it. I think they'd make excellent pals. Also, just give Riku lots of friends!


	24. Light as air - Future-fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Future-fic - Just some Soriku and snow.

“I know it’s usually quiet at night,” Sora says on the balcony when Riku joins him. “But with all this snow it’s extra quiet.”

Riku nods. “The real question is,” he starts. “Why are you awake to talk about how quiet it is? Still having trouble sleeping?”

Sora shrugs and looks away. There’d a heavy wool blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his cheeks are flushed from the cold air. “Ah, look!” Sora calls out and holds his arms up. “It’s snowing again!”

He supposes he should point out that Sora just blatantly left turned away from Riku’s question, but the look of joy on Sora’s face is so sweet and sincere he can’t bring himself to say anything to take that look away.

—

Sora breaks away from the embrace he’s been sharing with Riku for the past ten minutes. “I’m going to be late,” he says breathlessly.

“Who cares,” Riku says, laughing. “You’re always late, anyway.”

Sora leans in for another kiss and then squeezes Riku’s waist hard, making the other man yelp. “I’m trying to be responsible, okay!” He says, attempting to sound indignant. “Let go of me, you tall studmuffin.”

The look on Riku’s face has Sora in peals of laughter as he escapes his boyfriend’s clutches. “I should never have told you about that,” Riku laments. “Put on an extra sweater, it’s freezing!”

When Sora comes back out, he’s so bundled up only his freckled face and hands are visible. “You absolutely should have told me that!” He says. “And if I ever find out you are keeping something similiar from me I will never forgive you.”

Riku puts him in his coat, grumbling all the way, a hat, a scarf and gloves. A day or two in Arendelle is one thing but a whole winter in the Land of Departure is taking a toll on them. They’ve taken to sleeping in a heap in the center of their bed, covered in blankets.

Sora gives him one more kiss before he goes. “See you later, studmuffin.”

When he’s gone, Riku cranks up their heater and smiles when he sees snow falling outside. Sora will love that.

—

“It’s pretty,” Sora says as he leans against the window. He spent his whole childhood never having seen snow and it never gets old.

Riku nods, and leans back. Their garden is covered in a layer of fresh snow.

“Don’t know why I like snow so much,” Sora says. “Honestly, it’s cold and it gets everything wet and when you have a toddler it’s even more of a mess but... it just makes everything peaceful.”

“Extra quiet,” Riku murmurs.

Sora looks up at him. “Huh?”

“You said that once,” Riku says. “That snow makes everything extra quiet. It was back when you weren’t sleeping well. I was worried you were running yourself into the ground and you were just looking up at the snow like nothing was the matter.”

There’s a bit of a sheepish look on Sora’s face. “Can’t believe you remembered that,” he says, even though it really shouldn’t surprise him. Riku says funny things sometimes.

A light pitpat of feet draws in close.

“Hey, you,” Sora says and smiles when Yozora uses Riku’s legs to clamber up on to his lap. Riku easily puts an arm around Yozora to hold him steady.

“Snow!” Yozora says, pressing a finger to the window. His hair is dishevelled from his nap and there’s a stuffed Chocobo under one arm.

“He’s going to fall right back asleep,” Sora muses and Riku smiles at him.

Sora watches Riku lean down to talk to Yozora as they point at the snow outside.

With how quiet and peaceful it is, Sora leans his head back against the window, the snow only seems brighter with the sound of his family next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks ago it snowed one whole day where I live and I lost my mind and this happened.


	25. Magic all around you - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - Riku gives his magic to Sora to help him recover post-Quadratum. As if he wouldn't give him anything he needed, but Sora has issues with it.

“So what you’re saying is,” Riku says. “Is because Sora’s heart is basically new in this world it needs magic to repair his ability to summon a Keyblade.”

Yen Sid nods and looks at Sora. “But because your body has also been reconstructed, your magic is not capable of doing that.”

Riku feels Sora’s disappointment before he looks to the side and sees his best friend sigh.

“Is there something I can do?” Sora asks, his hands in front of him.

Yen Sid nods. “Have patience,” he says and Riku swallows. “And your strength will return to you.”

Sora isn’t a patient person on a good day but coupled with the idea he likely has in his head that he’s not good enough likely doesn’t help that.

—

Out by the Gummiship Sora has gone from disappointed to mopey.

“We’ll figure it out okay?” Riku says, opening the ramp so they can get in. “There’s loads of stuff you can do in the meantime, like visiting everyone and you said you wanted to visit Little Chef to work on your cooking...”

It doesn’t help because Sora snaps, “Yeah and I can set my calendar to me being back to square one again!” He says, stomping up the ramp. “Meanwhile, everyone else gets to keep going while I’m in this endless loop!”

Without even saying a word Sora turns to Riku and deflates. “I’m sorry, it’s just...” his lip wobbles and Riku gets in close and hugs him. It seems like the easiest thing to do. Sora seems to appreciate it because he returns the hug tightly. “It’s not fair.”

Riku sets his chin on Sora’s head and rubs a hand over his back. “It isn’t,” he agrees because he really does. Sora is always the one paying the price for doing the right thing. “But I meant what I said before, we’ll figure this out.”

The tiny nod Riku feels against his chest is barely there but enough motivation.

—

“Does Sora know about this?”

Yen Sid’s voice gives the impression he already knows.

“No,” Riku says. “But once you tell me if it’s possible, I’ll tell him. I don’t want to get his hopes up.” And Riku hates keeping secrets from Sora, after everything.

Yen Sid gives him a long look before nodding. “It is possible,” he says. “There is a spell we can use to transfer your magical energy to Sora, and it should have him wielding again in no time.”

“Will it affect me being able to wield?” Riku asks, his fingers curling inwards just a little.

“No,” he says. “Your heart was not damaged during your time in Quadratum, nor was your body. Your ability to wield should remain unchanged, only you will be unable to cast magic.”

Riku relaxes his hand and holds it up. “Will it come back?”

“Yes, though it could take months,” Yen Sid says. “Riku... you do not have to do this. Sora could do with a lesson in patience...”

“I think Sora’s had enough lessons to learn to last him a little while,” Riku shoots back, suddenly defensive. He knew he was out of line, but Yen Sid could be unfairly harsh to Sora and it was instinctual for Riku to stand up for him. “I’ll explain it to him and we’ll come back here soon.”

Assuming Sora would agree to it.

—

“No way!” Sora cries out. “No way, Riku... not if it costs all your magic!”

They’re still holding hands, which is still something else in Riku’s book, holding Sora’s hand was all kinds of a dream come true, even if Sora was spitting mad.

“You can’t always just jump into the fire because I got burned,” Sora says and it’s a testament to how mature he’s become, how wise he is. “I made this choice.”

“And I’m making this one,” Riku says. “I can live without my magic for a little while, honest. I’m not much of a caster anyway.”

Sora smiles a little as if he can’t help himself. “You are more of a bonk them over the head with a giant key first, ask questions later type,” he says and Riku falls a little bit in love with him all over again. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Riku says.

“Really, really sure?” Sora asks, his face equal parts hesitant and hopeful.

Riku pulls him in by their joined hands. “I’m super duper, really really sure,” he promises. “We’re a team, you look out for me, I look out for you.”

It makes Sora’s eyes shine in a way that makes it all the more worth it.

—

“It’s quite simple,” Yen Sid says, gesturing at the floor where a circle is drawn, filled with intricate lines and markings. “You stand in the circle together and I will cast the spell. Riku’s magical energy will transfer to Sora. Are you both ready?”

Both of them nod and walk over to the circle. The tingling energy of magic within it is obvious the moment they step inside.

Sora opens his mouth but Riku cuts him off. “If you ask me if I’m sure one more time, I will drop you out of that window.”

Sora snaps his mouth shut and grins. “Fine,” he says. “We’re ready, Master Yen Sid.”

The minute Yen Sid begins to speak, the circle and all the lines and symbols inside it light up so brightly they both squint. There’s a rush of air and a humming sound and when Riku gasps, Sora steps closer and lays a hand on Riku’s chest where his beats underneath.

“I...” Sora says. “I can feel you.” He leans in, stands on his toes and presses his cheek to Riku’s, as if he’s drawn to the other like a magnet. “Riku...” his lips are warm against Riku’s cheek, like kiss but something more intimate.

Riku grabs one of Sora’s shoulders to hold him steady. The humming has turned to a surge of energy and for just a second, they feel like they’re melted together. One mind, one body, the quiet of darkness and the intensity of light coming together.

He’s not sure he actually feels his magic leave him, but the minute the light fades and the spell is over his knees buckle.

Riku thinks he hears Sora call his name and catch him as he goes down, but it feels like falling into a peaceful sleep so goes willingly.

When the magic left him, Sora’s eyes had never been so blue.

—

“That’s the third time you’ve yawned,” Sora says.

Riku turns to look at him halfway through his yawn and exagerates it. Once his mouth is closed, he winks at Sora. “I’m just lazy,” he says.

Sora shakes his head. “You’re not, you’re tired,” he says. “You’re tired all the time and it’s because I stole...”

“You didn’t steal anything,” Riku retorts, giving Sora a gentle smack on the arm. “As if all four foot five of you could steal anything from me.”

“Hey!” Sora says, his happy face returning with Riku’s teasing. “Five foot five and don’t you forget it!”

Riku gets up and walks a few paces away. He snaps his hand Braveheart comes to him, loyal and true, even without his magic. “Well, go on then...” he says to Sora.

Sora jumps up and in a golden flash that lights up his face, the Kingdom Key appears in Sora’s hand. It had only taken it a few days to come home to him.

The blow Sora lands on Riku’s Keyblade is enough to make him step back and he grins. “Is that all you got?!”

When Sora comes for him, Keyblade raised, face happy and strong it sparks something inside Riku, and it feels like magic coming to life between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was watching Card Captor Sakura and I got inspired the by scene where Touya gives Yukito/Yue his magic so he can heal himself. I think Riku would absolutely do that so Sora could summon a Keyblade again.


	26. A dream is a wish your heart makes - post-canon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-canon - now that they're home and now that there's peace, they can dream together.

He’s not sure where his own dream ends and Riku’s begins, but it’s more than he thought his mind was capable of. The sky touches the land in such a way that it looks like there’s no way border between them.

The color of dawn, pinks and purples, dotted with thousands of stars that melt into the colors. A painting that lives and moves and breathes.

“Riku...” Sora says, voice thin with awe. He turns to his best friend, who just has a tender smile on his face. It occurs to Sora that Riku has been looking at him like that for a long time but he never realized what it meant. “Why are you smiling!”

He stamps his foot down in frustration and puffs of colorful clouds and flowers burst out from the ground, which only makes Riku laugh.

“Because,” Riku says, stepping up to Sora with his arms open. “I’m happy, Sora. I’m happy to be here with you.”

His face flushes, Sora can feel it but he goes to Riku anyway, one hand coming to rest on Riku’s shoulder. Riku’s hand settles on his waist. When their free hands meet in a clasp, music fills the air, delicate strings that surround them from every direction.

“Dreaming about dancing with me?” Riku asks, pulling Sora close. “Such a cliché.” The smile on his face is gentle and teasing so Sora smiles too.

“During the Mark...” Sora says. “I wanted to! But we were seperated.”

Riku’s hand slides from his waist to the small of his back and Sora can’t help his breath hitching, the colors of the land brightening somehow.

“We’re together now,” Riku says.

Sora nods. “So what are you waiting for?”

“I was waiting for you,” Riku tells him and Sora looks at him so intensely his eyes shine.

“Here I am,” Sora says and with that they turn into a dance, spinning in time with the music.

The land seems to give way under their feet, sliding around like a kaleidoscope, no gravity, no air... only colors and music, stars and clouds and sand and grass. Magic born from all the dreams in their head waiting to come out.

Riku holds onto Sora like he might fall, even though he knows they can’t. They shouldn’t know the steps but somehow their feet do, perfect tandem with each other. Sora laughs when Riku spins him under his arm.

It begins to rain, drops water that glitter in the light, the air not losing any of it’s brightness. Sora only laughs louder and Riku laughs with him.

They spin and spin, the dance repeating itself.

“I could do this forever!” Sora cries out, gripping hard onto Riku’s hand and shoulder, feeling like he’s flying.

Riku presses his forehead to Sora’s as they dance. “We’ve got all the time in the world,” he promised and spins them around again.

When Sora wakes much later, he’s already smiling. The morning light isn’t quite as colorful as their shared dream, but Riku’s face is the same, familiar and handsome and peaceful.

Sora places his hand on Riku’s cheek and swears he feels a smile when he kisses him and pulls him from the dream he was in to wherever Sora is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all of them!
> 
> As I said in the first chapter, please feel free to drop a prompt in a comment and maybe I'll write it!
> 
> I do very much hope you enjoyed reading this and please look forward to more in the future (eventually).

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Easier Done Than Said](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29575839) by [mousapelli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mousapelli/pseuds/mousapelli)




End file.
